*Note; many of these management strategies may fall under the partial or full jurisdiction of agencies other than MPA management.

Given that the impact of noise on marine mammal species varies between species, the type of sound and the location, a variety of strategies may be appropriate in order to reduce these impacts in different MPAs. Furthermore, due to sound travelling much further and faster in water than in air, acoustic buffer zones may need to be outside MPAs to reduce the impacts of noise [3].

To incorporate management actions to protect marine mammals from noise pollution, legislative responsibility must clearly fall on either MPA management and/or national or regional agencies and be enforceable. Underwater noise limits should also be invoked within the permit process.

Specific management strategies include monitoring (and if possible, maintaining) the status of a species, monitoring the consequences of activities, and incorporating these results into future management plans [4].

Specific management regulations might involve (depending on the species and sources of noise) prohibition of certain sources of noise (such as seismic surveys), regulations specific to seasons or important life history locations, maximum acute noise limits for marine construction and maximum allowable limits to chronic ambient noise for fixed sources. An MPA may also develop strategies to reduce the impact of commercial vessel noise on marine mammals.

Various mitigation technologies may be regulated within the MPA, including the use of alternative reduced noise technologies, and technologies that reduce the noise emitted during conventional shipping or engineering projects. Acoustic Mitigation Devices (AMD) may be employed to drive cetaceans away from specified areas. Monitoring devices can also be deployed. Acoustic hardware can be used for implementing both passive and active acoustic monitoring and noise monitoring programs. Both fixed and towed hydrophones fall into this category [5].