Coastal Panel Asked to OK Navy Gun Tests : Environment: Weapon would be fired on San Nicolas Island. Despite precautions, there is a remote chance that sea life might be harmed.

The Navy is seeking permission from the California Coastal Commission to test-fire a sophisticated Gatling gun on San Nicolas Island near areas teeming with seals, sea lions and marine birds.

The proposal comes just weeks after the Navy incurred the wrath of environmental activists with a plan to detonate underwater explosives to test the strength of ship hulls 20 miles away. That testing, which has been temporarily delayed, is expected to kill or injure a small number of marine mammals.

Under the new proposal, the Navy wants to test an updated version of its Vulcan Phalanx Gatling gun on a point at Navy-owned San Nicolas, which is about 70 miles off the Ventura County coast.

Navy officials say the test--to be conducted in May and June if approved by the commission--will be carried out in an area where a minimum of sea life is found. Shots fired from the island will be directed at incoming test targets, and those that miss are expected to land harmlessly 6,000 feet offshore, officials said.

However, the officials acknowledged that the test zone lies between two areas on the island where an abundance of marine mammals and birds are located, including the endangered southern sea otter and the California brown pelican. Those animals could be affected by noise, and there is a remote possibility that creatures offshore could be hit.

On Tuesday, however, Navy officials insisted the tests were safe.

The proposal will go before the Coastal Commission on Tuesday. Commission staff members said they were at first very concerned by the tests but have since been convinced that through the safety precautions the Navy intends, they will be safely conducted without harm to wildlife.