Azura has joined HDR’s Team to provide professional services to the U.S. Navy for their Marine Species Monitoring Program. Earlier this year, the U.S. Navy awarded a $75 million contract to HDR Environmental, Operations, and Constructions Inc. to handle marine species monitoring studies for the Naval Facilities Engineering Command in Atlantic and Pacific areas.

To comply with U.S. laws and regulations for protecting marine mammals and other marine protected species, the U.S. Navy is responsible for meeting specific requirements for monitoring and reporting on military readiness activities involving active sonar and underwater detonations from explosives and explosive munitions. The comprehensive Marine Species Monitoring Program allows the Navy to comply with the Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, Magnuson-Stevens Act, and other related regulations.

Through this partnership, Azura will provide a variety of services which may include marine protected species observations from vessels or aircraft, data analyses, and the preparation and delivery of presentations and reports. Work is set to take place in the Navy’s training and testing areas in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Pacific Ocean through April 2020.