Protected Species Observer (PSO)

A protected species observer (PSO), also called a marine mammal observer, is a trained specialist who watches for marine mammals, sea turtles, and other protected species during noise-generating offshore operations and triggers mitigation when they enter an exclusion zone. PSOs staff seismic surveys, offshore pile driving, dredging, and explosive removals, scanning the safety radius before and during work and ordering soft-start ramp-up, shutdown, or delay if an animal appears. They commonly pair visual watch with passive acoustic monitoring for low-visibility or nighttime detection. US operations follow Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and NOAA Fisheries protocols under the Marine Mammal Protection Act; UK work follows JNCC guidelines.