(a) The Holder of the Letter of Authorization must submit classified and unclassified quarterly mission reports to the Director, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, no later than 30 days after the end of each quarter beginning on the date of effectiveness of a Letter of Authorization or as specified in the appropriate Letter of Authorization. Each quarterly mission report will include all active-mode missions completed during that quarter. At a minimum, each classified mission report must contain the following information:
(1) Dates, times, and location of each vessel during each mission;
(2) Information on sonar transmissions during each mission;
(3) Results of the marine mammal monitoring program specified in the Letter of Authorization; and
(4) Estimates of the percentages of marine mammal species and stocks affected (both for the quarter and cumulatively for the year) covered by the Letter of Authorization.
(b) The Holder of a Letter of Authorization must submit an unclassified annual report to the Director, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, no later than 45 days after the expiration of a Letter of Authorization. The reports must contain all the information required by the Letter of Authorization.
(c) A final comprehensive report must be submitted to the Director, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, at least 240 days prior to expiration of these regulations. In addition to containing all the information required by any final year Letter of Authorization, this report must contain an unclassified analysis of new passive sonar technologies and an assessment of whether such a system is feasible as an alternative to SURTASS LFA sonar.
(d) The Navy will continue to assess the data collected by its undersea arrays and work toward making some portion of that data, after appropriate security reviews, available to scientists with appropriate clearances. Any portions of the analyses conducted by these scientists based on these data that are determined to be unclassified after appropriate security reviews will be made publically available. The Navy will provide a status update to NMFS when they submit their annual application.
(e) Following the Scientific Advisory Group's (SAG) submission of findings, and assuming the SAG recommends going forward with beaked whale and/or harbor porpoise monitoring/research, the Navy will either:
(1) Draft a plan of action outlining their strategy for implementing the SAG's recommendations; or
(2) Describe in writing why none of the SAG's recommendations are feasible and meet with NMFS to discuss any other potential options.