Naval Air Station Whidbey Island conducted explosive demolition operations in Crescent Harbor this week.

The operations occurred during daylight hours Wednesday, April 8.

The purpose of the exercise was to test small-scale charges, about the size of a shotgun shell, which are used to detonate larger explosives in combat, according to Mike Welding, public information officer for Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.

Water plumes and ground vibration from these operations were possible, an earlier Navy press release advised, but safety precautions were planned to ensure the operations posed no threat to residents or their property.

The testing was conducted by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 11 Detachment Northwest which fired two one-ounce charges of C4 explosive 30 feet below the water surface, Welding said in an emailed statement prior to the operation.

Welding added that the impact to the environment was expected to be “extremely low.” To date, no sea life has been injured by this training because it is closely monitored by an environmental team from Navy Region Northwest, he said.

The explosives detonated in Crescent Harbor are also limited by the Navy Endangered Species Act consultants who work in tandem with the National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

In addition to visual monitoring, participating personnel used hydrophones to ensure the training did not pose an acoustic threat to wildlife.

Because the Navy was required to do acoustic monitoring to document the underwater impact of the detonation on fish and wildlife, officials monitored for dead fish and wounded animals located within the detonation area.