A SILENT VICTORY 4/1/2015
A federal judge stands up to the noisy navy for the sake of marine mammals.
NRDC vs U.S.NAVY
HELP STOP THE NAVY’S ASSAULT
A SILENT VICTORY 4/1/2015
A federal judge stands up to the noisy navy for the sake of marine mammals.
NRDC vs U.S.NAVY
HELP STOP THE NAVY’S ASSAULT ON WHALES!
The Navy is prepared to kill nearly 1,000 whales and other marine
mammals during the next five years of testing and training with dangerous
sonar and explosives. Tell Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel to direct the
Navy to adopt commonsense safeguards that will protect marine mammals
during routine training without compromising military readiness.
★HELP STOP THE NAVY’S ATTACK ON WHALES!
Navy and Marine Mammals: Fact vs. Myth
The U.S. Navy is a responsible steward of the marine environment. While it is impossible
to guarantee that our activities at sea will have zero impacts on marine life, the Navy
works closely with environmental regulatory agencies (National Marine Fisheries Service,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency, state agencies) to
minimize impacts and comply with applicable laws while meeting our national security
obligations. We are also a world leader in funding independent research to learn more
about marine mammal populations and their sensitivity to underwater sound. We strive
to be transparent in describing our activities to the public, government agencies, and
At times, statements that appear in the press regarding the effects of sonar and other Navy
training and testing activities on marine life require clarification and/or contain inaccuracies.
To ensure that accurate, science-based information about Navy activities is accessible to
interested stakeholders, Navy responses to select media articles are included below.
12/27/13 Sacramento Bee
Navy Should Find Alternatives To Threatening Endangered Species
Navy Response (12/31/13)
I’m a Navy public affairs officer. There are some points in the 27 December editorial titled,
“Navy Should Find Alternatives To Threatening Endangered Species” that need clarification.
1. While the Navy does request authorization for 155 marine mammal mortalities for training
and testing off Hawaii and Southern California, we ultimately do not expect any marine
mammals to be harmed. The best available science indicates that the vast majority of
impacts to marine mammals will be behavioral responses which will not result in any physical
injury. There are zero marine mammal mortalities predicted by our computer modeling for
sonar use in these areas. Out of an abundance of caution we do request mortalities for
beaked whales, due to their apparent sensitivity to sonar, as part of our permit requests even
though the science does not show mortalities are likely.
2. There is no evidence sonar has killed or caused direct physical injury to marine mammals.
In the few cases where sonar has been associated with a stranding event, the animals’ injuries
have always been found to be a result of the beaching event rather than the sound source
causing ear or tissue damage.
3. U.S. Navy sonar has been linked to a small number of marine mammal stranding events
over the past 15 years, leading to fewer than 40 mortalities. The Navy takes precautions when
using sonar and works with the National Marine Fisheries Service to ensure that our activities
comply with the law and do not have major impacts on marine mammal populations.
4. Regarding monitoring, bear in mind that each and every time Navy Sailors see a dead or
injured marine mammal at sea, the Navy is required to report it to the National Marine Fisheries
Service. If there were large numbers of marine mammals popping up dead in the wake of
training and testing activities, especially in near-shore areas, the Navy and other users of the
marine environment would see those impacts (and wildlife regulatory agencies would be made
aware). The reality is that during the past five years, only four dolphin deaths, which occurred
during a single explosives training event in 2011, are known to have occurred as a result of Navy
activities. Since that time the Navy has modified our explosives training safety procedures to
be more protective of marine mammals.
5. During the melon-headed whale event in 2004 in Hanalei Bay, only one whale–an emaciated
calf–went ashore. It was an aggregation event where the animals milled about in the Bay. Similar
events have occurred elsewhere in the world in areas where no sonar was in use.
6. Far from disregarding new science, the Navy is a world leader in developing new science.
We have considered numerous studies as part of our analysis for this training and testing,
and these and other studies will be also considered as part of our adaptive management
process with the National Marine Fisheries Service. The Navy cannot guarantee that our
activities will have zero effects on marine mammals. However, for that very reason, we justify
our requirements to, and ultimately receive our permits from, the National Marine Fisheries
Service. These permits can only be issued if our proposed activities will have a negligible
impact on marine life. We will continue to conduct realistic training and testing to accomplish
our mission, while being respectful of the marine environment now and into the future.
12/23/13 OC Weekly
Navy Sonar Plan Riles Protectors of Whales
Navy Response (12/24/13)
Several of the statements in the article titled, “Navy Sonar Plan Riles Protectors of Whales”
are inaccurate and/or requ