Latest Marine mammals and sonar Stories

Scientists know that the blood and tissues of some deceased beaked whales stranded near naval sonar exercises are riddled with bubbles. It is also well know that human divers can suffer from bubbles-induced decompression sickness, also known as the bends. What researchers know comparatively little about is how living marine mammals handle the compression of lung gas as they dive deep and then resurface. Now, in a study published online in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, a team that...

Scientists have long been aware of a link between naval sonar exercises and unusual mass strandings of beaked whales. Evidence of such a link triggered a series of lawsuits in which environmental groups sued the U.S. Navy to limit sonar exercises to reduce risk to whales. In 2008, this conflict rose to the level of the US Supreme Court which had to balance potential threat to whales from sonar against the military risk posed by naval forces inadequately trained to use sonar to detect enemy...

Australian authorities reported on Sunday that at least 150 whales have died after being stranded on Tasmania's west coast.The long-finned pilot whales were discovered on Saturday, badly injured by jagged rocks. The body count was affirmed on Sunday to be 150, double the original estimate of 80 on Saturday.An official said that rescuers did managed to save 30 whales, which were trapped in shallow reefs, by using a small safety boat to steer them to deeper water.Whales pass Tasmania as they...

In a crushing defeat for environmentalists, the Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday the US Navy can conduct sonar training exercises off the southern California coast without restrictions designed to protect whales, dolphins and other marine mammals.The high court threw out a federal judge's injunction that had required the Navy to take precautions during submarine-hunting exercises. Environmental groups argued that the intense sound waves could harm or even kill 37 species of marine mammals,...

From staff and wire reports WASHINGTON Whales may simply have to pay the price as the Navy trains for war, Supreme Court justices suggested Wednesday. In a closely watched environmental case, justices on Wednesday repeatedly sounded sympathetic to Pentagon officials who want to run large-scale Navy exercises off the Southern California coast. While the resulting underwater sonar storm disturbs marine mammals, it helps prepare sailors for combat. "I thought the whole point of the armed...

We were cheered to learn that the U.S. Navy and conservation groups have reached a court-approved settlement that allows the military ample opportunity to test its low-frequency sonar systems while protecting the habitats of marine life . So it is especially disturbing that the Bush administration is still trying to block the courts' ability to mediate future agreements between the military and environmentalists. The vigilantly anti-regulatory Bush administration claimed that training...

The U.S. Navy has agreed to restrict the use of sonar during its training exercises as part of a deal with environmental groups, officials said. The groups argue the use of low-frequency active sonar harms whales and other creatures, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday. The agreement, which was approved by a federal judge in San Francisco, affects the use of sonar in the Pacific Ocean, which is home to whale breeding grounds, The Navy has said it is necessary to use sonar as a part of...

By TONY PERRY By Tony Perry Los Angeles Times The Navy will restrict the use of low-frequency active sonar during training in the Pacific Ocean to prevent possible harm to whales and other creatures, under an agreement reached with environmental groups Tuesday. The accord, approved by a federal court in San Francisco, would restrict the use of a type of sonar in areas in the Pacific Ocean that are known to be whale breeding grounds and key habitat, such as the Humpback Whale National...

The U.S. Navy has adopted a new plan Thursday to train in waters near Hawaii. The plan would allow for more frequent exercises while limiting the potentially harmful effects of its sonar on marine mammals.The plan was created following completion of environmental studies that found the exercises were in compliance with federal law. Similar studies are being conducted for training in waters off the coast of the Pacific Northwest, California and elsewhere.According to environmentalists, active...

By Joan Biskupic WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear a dispute over the Navy's sonar training exercises off the Southern California coast. Environmentalists say the exercises threaten dolphins, whales and other marine mammals. The case presents an important test of competing environmental and military interests. It began when the Navy did not prepare the required environmental-impact report for anti-submarine exercises scheduled for 2007-09 to train strike groups for...