Navy to Use Sonar That May Affect Whales

WASHINGTON -- Federal regulators granted the Navy a permit Tuesday to use sonar in a maritime exercise despite environmentalists' concerns it could disturb or even kill whales and dolphins.

It was the first such permit granted to the Navy, and one environmental group, the Natural Resources Defense Council, said it would file a lawsuit Wednesday to prevent the sonar's use.

The monthlong exercise, which includes anti-submarine training, involves naval forces from eight nations. It began Monday off the Hawaiian Islands. The sonar part of the exercise begins after July 4 and lasts three weeks.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration gave the Navy a permit to use mid-frequency active sonar, which can affect marine mammals' behavior. In documents released Tuesday, NOAA determined that the exercise would cause no significant environmental impact.

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-navy-whales,0,5030576.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

so im not sure why it says it was the first such permit granted the navy
i dont even want to think about how long this sh** has been going on

Autopsies of whales and dolphins show the high pitched frequency
used by the Navy's new sonar designed for deep sea oil exploration,
shatters the ear drums of sea mammals leaving them unable to navigate
ocean waters. They then beach themselves and die.

I hope the environmentalists get the job done.

No matter, the Navy will follow orders from the top and we'll see
the beachings happen anyway.

it was to inform about what was in the works so it starting in 2000 sounds right

anyone with an open mind would know - and as you say its confirmed - that sonar would destroy these animals ability to communicate and survive

the Navy argued that it didn't hurt the whales, but even if it did, "security" is more important.

It's not supposed to be, but the military is effectively exempt from environmental law.

http://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/marine/sonar.asp


According to a report by the scientific committee of the International Whaling Commission, one of the world's leading bodies of whale biologists, the evidence linking sonar to a series of whale strandings in recent years is "very convincing and appears overwhelming." Despite the broad scientific consensus that military active sonar kills whales, the use of this deadly sonar in the world's oceans is spreading.

An NRDC-led coalition of wildlife advocates succeeded in restricting the U.S. Navy's use of a powerful active sonar system known as SURTASS LFA in 2003. But the fight is hardly over; other nations are developing LFA-type systems of their own, and sonar testing using mid-frequency sonar systems, which have been implicated in numerous strandings of whales worldwide, continues unabated, putting marine mammals and fisheries at risk. And the Bush administration is now appealing the legal victory that compelled the Navy into compromise.

In response, NRDC and its partners have redoubled our campaign, both at home and abroad, to control the spread of this harmful technology. In October 2005, after attempting for years to engage the Navy in constructive dialogue on the harms caused by its mid-frequency sonar systems, NRDC brought suit in U.S. federal court, together with a coalition of wildlife advocates, asking that the Navy take common-sense precautions during peacetime training with mid-frequency sonar.




Tell the Navy to stop harming whales with high-intensity sonar


Although the Navy agreed to limit its use of low-frequency sonar, it continues to blast the world's oceans with mid-frequency sonar, which can be just as harmful to whales and other marine mammals. Tell the Navy to turn off the noise.

http://www.nrdcaction.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=52189

his administration has publically claimed to be vigorously opposed to whaling, and will work to keep whaling nations from getting the power to overturn earlier agreements.

Dirty, dirty people, aren't they? They probably don't like the whaling countries because they won't be able to profit from the slaughter personally. Obviously, they have a clear choice to NOT engage in this kind of sonar, as it simply isn't necessary, but hell, where's the fun in that?

It was an episode of a show called Outdoor Investigations. (Outdoor channel I think) With PROOF! Real proof, like MRI scans of dead whale heads to show what the sonor does. Had video of the whales behavior with the Navy ships in the background and underwater audio of the noise the ship was broadcasting underwater. Maybe they'll run a rerun sometime. -JJ

take a look at a recent Defense Industry Daily index page to get some background.

http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/laser_em_weapons/index.php

We are directly and indirectly killing our own species (human), drip, drip, drip....I know theres a rouge asteroid out thre somewhere.....who makes the last statement?

On the WH web page they're touting Bush's proclamation of the establishment of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument. Reading it will make you hurl! He positions himself between Theodore Roosevelt and Jean Jacques Cousteau! Bush just has to destroy, doesn't he? And the more beautiful something is, the more pleasure he derives from destroying it. He gives NOAA oversight of these "protected" (HAH!) waters off of Hawaii, but it was NOAA that approved the Navy's use of sonar in the area around Hawaii. Selected quotes from Bush:

Proclamation: Establishment of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument
Fact Sheet: The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument: A Commitment to Good Stewardship of Our Natural Resources
In Focus: Environment


2:34 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:
As I was walking in here, I actually saw Theodore Roosevelt's portrait over there. What's interesting is that we are here to fulfill a legacy of conservation that was first begun by Theodore Roosevelt. In 1909, President Roosevelt established the Hawaiian Island Reservation, and he did so to protect native seabirds from being hunted. His executive order was the first of many presidential efforts to protect the life and waters of Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

As a marine national monument, the waters of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands will receive our nation's highest form of marine environmental protection. We will protect a precious natural resource. We will show our respect for the cultural and historical importance of this area. And we will create an important place for research and learning about how we can be good stewards of our oceans and our environment.


I want to thank Jean-Michel Cousteau for joining us. He just showed me a picture of another President -- well, two fathers kind of gathered together. And it's proud for two sons to be carrying on the legacy of conservation. He's made a really important movie that I hope people will watch about the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. I think the American people will understand better about why I made the decision I made when they see the movie that Jean-Michel has produced.

I want to thank Silvia Earle. She's a marine biologist. She's Explorer in Residence of the National Geographic Society. It was during the showing of the movie that she sat me down and gave me a pretty good lecture about life. (Laughter.) She actually invited me to spend a week with her under the seas. (Laughter.) There's some in Congress who would like me to spend my lifetime under -- (laughter.)


The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are a beautiful and special place. The 10 islands and atolls stretch over 1,400 miles. That's the distance from Chicago to Miami. In the tropical waters surrounding the archipelago, there are more than 4,500 square miles of coral reef habitat thriving under the surface. Think about that -- 4,500 square miles of coral reef. These undersea forests and mountain ranges comprise the largest remote reef system in the world. And this region holds the largest and healthiest untouched coral reef system in the United States. And we're going to preserve it.

I think you're beginning to get a feel for why I made the decision I made. The national monument we're establishing today covers nearly 140,000 square miles. To put this area in context, this national monument is more than 100 times larger than Yosemite National Park, larger than 46 of our 50 states, and more than seven times larger than all our national marine sanctuaries combined. This is a big deal. (Applause.)

We will preserve access for native Hawaiian cultural activities. As part of the proclamation, the Department of the Interior and the Department of Commerce will work with the state of Hawaii and the public to develop a plan to manage the monument. This proclamation will also charge NOAA to use its expertise to oversee the new marine areas and the Fish and Wildlife Service to apply their skills to the wildlife refuge areas.

Within the boundaries of the monument, we will prohibit unauthorized passage of ships; we will prohibit unauthorized recreational or commercial activity; we will prohibit any resource extraction or dumping of waste, and over a five-year period, we will phase out commercial fishing, as well. For seabirds and sea life, this unique region will be a sanctuary for them to grow and to thrive. And for the American people, it will be a place that honors our responsibility to protect our natural resources.

You know, in America, there's a great consensus that we have an obligation to be good stewards of the environment. Success of a generation is not defined by wealth alone. We also will be measured by the respect we give to the precious creatures of our natural world.

Anything for photo-ops but he doesn't mean a third of what he says. Then he talks down to you : "I think you're beginning to get a feel for why I made the decision I made." and "You know, in America, there's a great consensus that we have an obligation to be good stewards of the environment. Success of a generation is not defined by wealth alone. We also will be measured by the respect we give to the precious creatures of our natural world." When did he start to believe that??! After he passed all the anti-environment laws for companies to pollute at will and he realized he f'ed up? Or was it when Al Gore became a smashing success with his global warming lectures and "An Inconvenient Truth?" What a phony asshat clown * is! Pahtooey!

You can kill so many more whales with a burst of sound than some harpoons on ropes.

greenpeace will be there. we cannot do this. sending a donation to nrdc right now.

My only hope for this planet is that peak oil is a reality and that significant oil production reductions well necessitate drastic modifications in the way the world conducts its business.

as hard as this is to take in i hope more people can learn about this horror

Sonar already affects whales (as in fatally), and from what I've heard this stuff is far more powerful.