FEDERATION OF WESTERN OUTDOOR CLUBS

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MARINE MAMMALS AND UNDERWATER NOISE

Because marine mammals depend on sound for all aspects of their lives, they are extremely vulnerable to man-made, underwater noise. Evidence is particularly strong that high intensity active sonar, and probably other loud noise sources, like those from shipping, gas exploration, seismic survey, etc., cause lesions in the acoustic organs which are severe enough to be lethal. High-powered noise can cause hemorrhaging in whales, internal injuries in fish, and seizures in human divers. Active sonar emits 215-decibel bursts of low-frequency waves which can travel 300 miles through the ocean.

The U.S. Navy is deploying its Low Frequency Active (LFA) sonar system--a new technology which blasts ocean habitats with noise so intense it can maim, deafen and even kill marine mammals. While a federal judge sharply curtailed the amount of ocean space in which testing can be done, this temporary injunction is subject to the final court decision on the lawsuit brought by environmental groups against the U.S. Navy and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). NMFS has granted a permit to the Navy to harass or injure up to twelve percent of any species of whales, dolphins, or other marine mammals. Permission to harass or injure up to twelve percent violates the "small numbers" allowed under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Final arguments in the lawsuit were heard recently, and the judges' final decision is due before long. The Bush Administration is pushing to exempt military activities from a variety of environmental constraints. In 2002 a federal judge rejected arguments that sonar use in the deep ocean was exempt from the National Environmental Protection Act.

The Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs deplores the advent of ocean noise which is harmful to marine life from all sources: LFA sonar deployed by U.S. Navy within Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) and on the high seas; increasing numbers of huge tankers and other ships, especially when congregating near critical marine mammal habitat; and oil and gas exploration and exploitation.

Steps must be taken by governments and by the International Maritime Organization to restrict and regulate the intensity of underwater noise within the EEZs and on the high seas.

The Bush Administration must not be allowed to violate U.S. environmental laws, even though it claims "national defense." The Marine Mammal Protection Act and the National Environmental Policy Act must not be weakened in the name of national defense.


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