Under the New Zealand seismic code of conduct all Marine Mammal Observers (MMOs) and Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) Operators must have the required proficiencies in specified areas (DOC, 2013).

MMO & PAM OPERATOR STANDARDS

Both MMOs and PAM Operators must exhibit the following competencies, as a minimum:

• An understanding of the Code’s mitigation and reporting requirements;
• Navigation (e.g. true vs magnetic north, course vs heading);
• Plotting positions of marine mammals in relation to vessel and acoustic source; and,
• An understanding of pertinent aspects of marine seismic surveys.

MMO STANDARDS

Marine Mammal Observers must also demonstrate their ability to:

• Measure distance, true speed, and direction of travel of marine mammals, and vessel movement; and,
• Detect and identify New Zealand marine mammal species, and assess their behaviour/activity.

In order to demonstrate the above abilities, MMOs must be able to use the following tools:

• Reticle binoculars and/or sextant for medium to long-range (>500 m) distance estimation;
• Measuring sticks (in addition to reticle binoculars or sextant) for short-range distance estimation;
• Angle boards and compass for calculating bearing from vessel; and,
• GPS to record vessel coordinates and download track logs.