September 26th, 2016 — The Port of Gulfport will spend thousands of dollars on a “bubble curtain” device, designed to dampen sound waves from a pile-driving project.
National Marine Fisheries Service requires mitigation because the underwater sounds could be harmful to fish or dolphins.
The federal requirement came as quite a surprise to several of the port commissioners, but the impact of underwater noise is a significant issue for marine scientists.
Construction sounds from the port not only resonate along the nearby Coast, they sometimes travel underwater into the adjoining Mississippi Sound.
“We have one of the largest dolphin populations in the United States that inhabits the Mississippi Sound. Plus, it’s also a nursing ground for these animals,” said Institute for Marine Mammal Studies director, Dr. Moby Solangi.
Dolphins rely on sound and echoes for their survival.
“They locate their fish through sound, they locate their mates through sound, they find their habitat through sound. If they become deaf, they’re unable to survive,” Solangi said.