Washington Post: Whale Stranding in N.C. Followed Navy Sonar Use

[Bonobo]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/14/AR2007101400857.html

Who is Really Responsible for Whale Deaths? Hint: It's not just Japan

Twenty-two varieties of beaked whales roam the seas, diving as deep as a mile to feed on bottom-dwelling squid and small fish on the dark ocean floor. Shy and seldom seen by man, they are among the least understood large creatures on Earth.

But in recent years, these deepest-diving whales have sent out an unexpected distress signal, alerting researchers and marine mammal advocates, through their confused behavior and beachings, to an environmental hazard that until 10 years ago was not known to exist. The threat comes from very loud noises, especially from Navy sonar, that on at least several occasions have proved fatal to the whales.

The realization that sonar can disorient or frighten whales sufficiently to leave them beached and dying has spurred protests and lawsuits, and has given the Navy a problem that it first denied but now, to some extent, acknowledges. Navy officials, however, have strenuously resisted efforts to limit testing of their sonar, saying it is essential to national security.

In response to angry protests, as well as some pressure from Congress and the marine mammal scientific community, the Navy has now funded an ambitious, $6 million project to learn more about beaked whales and their response to sonar and other loud ocean noises. The research began in earnest last month in the Bahamas under the leadership of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), not far from the spot where, in 2000, the stranding of 17 beaked whales after a Navy sonar exercise first brought the issue to public attention. At least six of those animals died.

[Bonobo]

1. Just not interesting when there's no pirates involved I guess.

[Bonobo]

2. Where are the whale-lovers when it is the US Navy killing whales?

There seem to be so many people concerned about whales in LBN...

I was wondering why they only seem to care when the Australian Press whips up their annual outrage fest because they lose 500 million dollars a year in whale-watching tourist money?

Didn't they know we have been causing whale strandings all this time? Ouch! Imagine having your sonar-sensitive eardrums ruptured by a powerful blast of sound? That must be agony! And it would hit an entire pod I imagine... And no one even gets to enjoy that deliciously traditional, mercury-laden whale meat either!