Whales and dolphins threatened by naval sonar, says UN report
By Daniel Howden
Published: 25 November 2005
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article329181.ece
High-intensity naval sonar poses a serious threat to whales, dolphins and
porpoises that depend on sound to survive, says a report by the United
Nations Environment Programme.
The study lends the first official support to claims by environmental
groups that military manoeuvres are responsible for the increasing
incidence of mass whale beachings. "We know about other threats such as
over-fishing, hunting and pollution [but] a new and emerging threat to
cetaceans is that of increased underwater sonars," said Mark Simmonds, of
the Whale and Dolphin Society. "These low-frequency sounds travel vast
distances, hundreds if not thousands of kilometres from the source."
A coalition of environmental groups launched by, among others, Jean-Michel
Cousteau, son of the ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, sued the US Navy in
October, over its use of sonar, saying the ear-splitting sounds violated
environmental protection laws. The lawsuit is aimed at vessels that use
mid-frequency sonar to locate submarines and underwater objects. The navy
has 60 days to respond.
Tests on the bodies of seven whales that died near Gran Canaria in 2002
found haemorrhages and inner-ear damage, which experts said was caused by
high-intensity, low-frequency sonar used in the area, it added. There are
no laws governing noise pollution in the oceans, but western governments,
considered largely responsible with their increased military presence in
the seas, say they need more research before taking action.
The Australian Department of Defence has admitted two minehunters used
short-range, high-frequency sonar to search for a 360-year-old Dutch wreck
off Marion Bay, where 110 pilot whales died in two beachings last month.
But the defence officials denied any responsibility for the strandings,
saying the first one happened while the ships were still anchored off the
Tasmanian capital, Hobart, a significant distance to the west. "The later
presence of the two ships in the area is purely coincidental," a spokesman
said.
Environmentalists say the ear-splitting sounds can disrupt the navigation
systems of whales and dolphins. Underwater seismic testing by the oil and
gas industries has also been implicated. But the closest exploration work
to Marion Bay last week was in the waters between Tasmania and Victoria,
275 miles north.
Tasmania has one of the world's highest rates of whale beachings, and
Marion Bay is a notorious blackspot. In 1998, 110 pilot whales died after
beaching themselves there.
And in 2004, 115 pilot whales and bottle-nosed dolphins died in two
strandings off nearby Maria Island, prompting the Australian government to
set up a national database of such incidents.
Wildlife officials said that the latest deaths may have been caused by the
animals becoming disoriented by the topography of the area, on the
island's south-eastern coast. Mark Pharaoh, of the Tasmanian Parks and
Wildlife Service, said: "The most common belief here is that since these
strandings are so regular, it's basically difficult country for a whale to
navigate in."
Another wildlife officer, Ingrid Albion, said: "Only one of them has to
get into trouble and make a wrong turn, and they'll actually call the rest
of the pod to them."
Researchers at the University of Tasmania have suggested beachings may be
linked to a 10-year cycle of increased wind strengths over the Southern
Ocean. Changes in the earth's magnetic field and pursuit by killer whales
are among other theories.
Animal protection groups have for years lobbied to restrict the use of
sonar, saying the sound blasts disorient the sound-dependent creatures and
cause bleeding from the eyes and ears.
Mr Simmonds added: "This is a hugely serious concern because these animals
need sound to navigate, to find their food, to communicate and to mate."
A report by the International Whaling Commission's scientific committee
said the link between sonar and whale deaths was "very convincing and
appears overwhelming".
High-intensity naval sonar poses a serious threat to whales, dolphins and
porpoises that depend on sound to survive, says a report by the United
Nations Environment Programme.
The study lends the first official support to claims by environmental
groups that military manoeuvres are responsible for the increasing
incidence of mass whale beachings. "We know about other threats such as
over-fishing, hunting and pollution [but] a new and emerging threat to
cetaceans is that of increased underwater sonars," said Mark Simmonds, of
the Whale and Dolphin Society. "These low-frequency sounds travel vast
distances, hundreds if not thousands of kilometres from the source."
A coalition of environmental groups launched by, among others, Jean-Michel
Cousteau, son of the ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, sued the US Navy in
October, over its use of sonar, saying the ear-splitting sounds violated
environmental protection laws. The lawsuit is aimed at vessels that use
mid-frequency sonar to locate submarines and underwater objects. The navy
has 60 days to respond.
Tests on the bodies of seven whales that died near Gran Canaria in 2002
found haemorrhages and inner-ear damage, which experts said was caused by
high-intensity, low-frequency sonar used in the area, it added. There are
no laws governing noise pollution in the oceans, but western governments,
considered largely responsible with their increased military presence in
the seas, say they need more research before taking action.
The Australian Department of Defence has admitted two minehunters used
short-range, high-frequency sonar to search for a 360-year-old Dutch wreck
off Marion Bay, where 110 pilot whales died in two beachings last month.
But the defence officials denied any responsibility for the strandings,
saying the first one happened while the ships were still anchored off the
Tasmanian capital, Hobart, a significant distance to the west. "The later
presence of the two ships in the area is purely coincidental," a spokesman
said.
Environmentalists say the ear-splitting sounds can disrupt the navigation
systems of whales and dolphins. Underwater seismic testing by the oil and
gas industries has also been implicated. But the closest exploration work
to Marion Bay last week was in the waters between Tasmania and Victoria,
275 miles north.
Tasmania has one of the world's highest rates of whale beachings, and
Marion Bay is a notorious blackspot. In 1998, 110 pilot whales died after
beaching themselves there.
And in 2004, 115 pilot whales and bottle-nosed dolphins died in two
strandings off nearby Maria Island, prompting the Australian government to
set up a national database of such incidents.
Wildlife officials said that the latest deaths may have been caused by the
animals becoming disoriented by the topography of the area, on the
island's south-eastern coast. Mark Pharaoh, of the Tasmanian Parks and
Wildlife Service, said: "The most common belief here is that since these
strandings are so regular, it's basically difficult country for a whale to
navigate in."
Another wildlife officer, Ingrid Albion, said: "Only one of them has to
get into trouble and make a wrong turn, and they'll actually call the rest
of the pod to them."
Researchers at the University of Tasmania have suggested beachings may be
linked to a 10-year cycle of increased wind strengths over the Southern
Ocean. Changes in the earth's magnetic field and pursuit by killer whales
are among other theories.
Animal protection groups have for years lobbied to restrict the use of
sonar, saying the sound blasts disorient the sound-dependent creatures and
cause bleeding from the eyes and ears.
Mr Simmonds added: "This is a hugely serious concern because these animals
need sound to navigate, to find their food, to communicate and to mate."
A report by the International Whaling Commission's scientific committee
said the link between sonar and whale deaths was "very convincing and
appears overwhelming".
* |