Navy Sonar Blamed For Dead Whales

Over at least the last 15 years, dead whales and dolphins have been showing up more and more,  and the reasons have been well documented.  It's the sonar used in the Navy training exercises.  Whales and other sea creatures have been deafened, and as a result, beached because of disorientation.  Many whales and dolphins have died.

The Navy has permits to carry out training exercises in 80% of the world's oceans.  The only stipulation is that they have to check to see that no whales or dolphins are in the vicinity when they perform their exercises.  Many lawsuits have been filed against the Navy, claiming that their training operations have directly impacted whales and dolphins and have led to many deaths. 

In the Bahamas, a marine biologist who was studying whales as part of a program for the Boston-based Earthwatch Institute, observed about 16 whales and a dolphin becoming stranded on the beach and in shallow waters around the northern Bahama Islands.  Most were pushed back into the sea by the biologist and other volunteers.  Still, the dolphin and six whales died.  It was one of the largest stranding of beaked whales on record.  A task force investigating the incident  said that it was highly likely that the stranding was caused by sonar transmissions from Navy ships that were performing antisubmarine exercises nearby.  This visible damage is apparently only part of the picture.  None of the 50 Cuvier's beaked whales that frequented the Bahamas year round have been seen since the strandings.  It is presumed that all have died. 

Many similar incidents have occurred throughout the world.  Of course the Navy must train their men, but at the same time we has a nation and the world, need to protect the animals of the sea.  Just as it's not ok for military or anyone to dump trash in the ocean, or for oil companies to leak oil into the ocean, it's not ok to use sonar to deafen and kill ocean animals.  They need to find a way to train efficiently without deafening animals.

Ocean noise pollution is akin to humans living in a world of increasing smog.  The windows of opportunity in which whales can communicate with a specific group member or find prey are increasingly limited because of noise pollution.  Most whales are endangered and having a hard time anyway.  Add the negative results of Navy training exercises using sonar, that over time will deafen them, and they don't stand a chance.  Let's find another way for our military to train.