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Issues: Wildlife

Protecting Whales from Dangerous Sonar
NRDC's campaign to regulate harmful Navy sonar systems is headed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Narrated by Pierce Brosnan

Watch this 1-minute preview, or click below for the full movie (about 5 minutes)

PROTECT WHALES!
Visit NRDC's BioGems Site to Take Action

MORE VIDEO
Sound judgment
Jan. 29: A legal battle is heating up between the U.S. Navy and California environmentalists over whether whales ought to be protected from military sonar. NBC's John Larson reports.

U.S. Navy vs. The Whale
Jan 29: Watch more of Joel Reynolds from the Natural Resources Defense Council and Vice Admiral Samuel Locklear, Commander, U.S. Third Fleet, discuss the Navy's use of sonar and the possible harm it can cause to marine mammals.


	SONAR IN THE COURTS
	NRDC Media Center 2/6/08: Navy Loses Second Sonar Case this Week 2/4/08: Federal Court Rejects Bush Sonar Waiver 1/17/08: Judge Issues Temporary, Partial Stay in Sonar Case

	RECENT SONAR-LINKED STRANDINGS
	Numerous mass stranding events and whale deaths across the globe have been linked to military sonar use. October 1989: At least 20 whales of three species strand during naval exercises near the Canary Islands. December 1991: Two Cuvier's beaked whales strand during naval exercises near the Canary Islands. May 1996: Twelve Cuvier's beaked whales strand on the west coast of Greece as NATO ships sweep the area with low- and mid-frequency active sonar. October 1999: Four beaked whales strand in the U.S. Virgin Islands during Navy maneuvers offshore. May 2000: A beaked whale strands in Vieques as naval exercises are about to begin offshore. May 2000: Three beaked whales strand on the beaches of Madeira during NATO naval exercises near shore. April 2002: A beaked whale and a humpback whale strand near Vieques during an offshore battle group training exercise. September 2002: At least 14 beaked whales from three different species strand in the Canary Islands during an anti-submarine warfare exercise in the area. Four additional beaked whales strand over the next several days. May 2003: As many as 11 harbor porpoises beach along the shores of the Haro Strait, Washington State, as the USS Shoup tests its mid-frequency sonar system. June 2004: As many as six beaked whales strand during a Navy sonar training exercise off Alaska. July 2004: Approximately 200 melon-headed whales crowd into the shallow waters of Hanalei Bay in Hawaii as a large Navy sonar exercise takes place nearby. Rescuers succeed in directing all but one of the whales back out to sea. July 2004: Four beaked whales strand during naval exercises near the Canary Islands. January 2005: At least 34 whales of three species strand along the Outer Banks of North Carolina as Navy sonar training goes on offshore.
Of the 13 beaked whales that stranded in the Bahamas in March 2000 after exposure to active sonar, seven died, including this one. Center for Whale Research

	IN-DEPTH REPORT

Sounding the Depths II

The rising toll of sonar, shipping
and industrial ocean noise on marine life.

Fully revised 2nd edition, published 11/05

Scientists have proven that military sonar can injure and even kill whales. To protect marine life from the lethal effects of sonar, NRDC is working nationally and internationally to establish strict regulations on sonar use so that whales and other marine mammals don't have to die for practice.

So far, NRDC has been successful in pushing for stricter control of two major types of military sonar, the widely used mid-frequency sonar and long-range low-frequency sonar -- despite strong Bush administration resistance. In early 2008, a federal court prohibited the Navy from conducting major mid-frequency sonar exercises in California without safety measures in place and rejected a White House bid to excuse the Navy from following the law. The Navy appealed this decision, and the U.S. Supreme Court will hear the case during fall 2008.

Also in early 2008, federal courts limited the regions where low-frequency sonar may be used and deemed certain species-rich areas, such as the Galapagos Islands and the Great Barrier Reef, off-limits. Our advocacy has pressured the Navy into preparing impact reviews and seeking environmental permits for sonar training on all of its U.S. ranges.

NRDC's goal is to encourage the military to use sonar responsibly, not to stop its use altogether. Necessary safety measures include putting rich marine mammal habitat off-limits; avoiding migration routes and feeding or breeding areas when marine mammals are present; and turning off active sonar when marine mammals and endangered species are spotted near by.

How Sonar Works

The principle behind active sonar will be familiar to anyone who has ever watched a submarine movie. Active sonar systems produce intense waves of sound that sweep the ocean like a floodlight, revealing objects in their path. Some systems can put out over 235 decibels, a level that can spread harmful sound across tens or even hundreds of miles of ocean.

The military employs two types of active sonar: mid-frequency and low-frequency. Low-frequency sonar travels enormous distances in seawater. During testing off the California coast, noise from SURTASS LFA, the Navy's main low-frequency system, was detected across the breadth of the North Pacific. By the Navy's own estimates, even 300 miles from the source these sonic waves can retain an intensity of 140 decibels -- a hundred times more intense than the level known to alter the behavior of large whales. Mid-frequency sonar is more widely used and has been associated with mortalities of whales.

How Sonar Harms Whales and other Marine Life

Evidence of sonar's dangers surfaced in 2000, when whales of four different species stranded themselves on beaches in the Bahamas after a U.S. Navy battle group used mid-frequency sonar in the area. Although the Navy initially denied responsibility, the government's investigation established that sonar caused the strandings. After the incident, the area's population of Cuvier's beaked whales nearly disappeared, leading researchers to conclude that they either abandoned their habitat or died at sea. Similar mass strandings have occurred in the Canary Islands, Greece, Madeira, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Hawaii and other sites around the globe.

Many of these beached whales have suffered physical trauma, including bleeding around the brain, ears and other tissues. In addition, many have shown symptoms akin to a severe case of "the bends" -- the illness that can kill scuba divers who surface quickly from deep water. The clear implication is that debilitating and lethal injuries are occurring in whales exposed to sonar at sea, perhaps by altering their dive patterns.

But stranded whales are only the most visible symptom of a problem affecting much larger numbers of marine life.

In the darkness of the ocean, marine mammals and many fish rely on sound to follow migratory routes, to locate each other over great distances, to find food, to breed and to care for their young. Naval sonar has been shown to disrupt feeding and other vital behavior and to cause a wide range of species to panic and flee. Scientists are concerned about the cumulative effect of all of these impacts on populations of animals.

See the sidebar on this page for a list of mass whale strandings and deaths associated with military activities and active sonar across the globe.

Reining in Sonar: Our Progress

Ongoing NRDC campaigns have made strides toward requiring the Navy to use proper safeguards when employing sonar.

2008: A federal court prohibits the Navy from conducting major mid-frequency sonar exercises in California without safety measures in place and rejects a White House bid to excuse the Navy from environmental compliance. The Navy petitions to appeal the decision, and the case will go before the U.S. Supreme Court during fall 2008.

2008: A federal court limits the regions where low-frequency sonar may be used and deemed certain species-rich areas, such as the Galapagos Islands and the Great Barrier Reef, off-limits.

2006: Two years after an earlier exercise caused the stranding of 200 whales in Hanalei Bay, a federal court halts sonar use during the Navy's massive Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise off Hawaii. The Navy agrees to additional mitigation to remove the injunction.

2006: After years of pressure from NRDC, the Navy begins to conduct environmental reviews and seek permits for mid-frequency sonar training off the U.S. coasts. The first review, for a proposed training range off North Carolina, is so heavily criticized that the Navy takes the unusual step of withdrawing it and starting from scratch.

2005: An NRDC-led coalition sues the Navy in U.S. federal court after years of attempts at constructive dialogue could not convince the Navy to take common-sense precautions during peacetime training with mid-frequency sonar.

2004: Responding to NRDC and other groups, a suite of intergovernmental bodies begins to take action on sonar. The European Parliament calls on its 25 member states to stop deploying active sonar without more information about the harm to whales and other marine life. ACCOBAMS, a European agreement for marine mammals, commits to develop guidelines for sonar and other noise-producing activities in the Mediterranean and Black seas. The World Conservation Congress of the World Conservation Union calls for international action.

2003: NRDC wins a major victory when a federal court rules illegal the Navy's plan to deploy low-frequency sonar through 75 percent of the world's oceans. The Navy agrees to limit use of the system to a fraction of the area originally proposed, and that use of low-frequency sonar will be guided by negotiated geographical limits and seasonal exclusions.

Keep the Pressure On

NRDC's efforts to bring attention to the serious risks of active sonar have been aided immeasurably by the tens of thousands of messages our members and other activists have sent, insisting that active sonar not be used until the long-term safety of ocean wildlife can be assured.

Today, we are increasing pressure on the international community and the U.S. Navy to reduce the impact of active sonar on our oceans, before it's too late. As our campaign expands, we will need your help more than ever. Join NRDC's Earth Activist Network -- you'll receive a biweekly email alert highlighting urgent environmental issues needing your immediate help.