Navy to curb use of sonar system
October 16, 2003
In a follow up to a story that we covered last week on harmful navy sonar, the Navy has agreed to curb use of harmful low frequency sonar. Read this excerpt from a story this week in the Seattle P-I:
Environmental groups and the U.S. Navy have struck a deal to dramatically limit the peacetime use of a new kind of sonar in the world's oceans after scientists found the technology can harm marine life, including whales and dolphins.
Navy sonar is being investigated as a possible cause of the deaths of 13 harbor porpoises that washed ashore in the San Juan Islands in May. And researchers last week reported that the bends -- a condition suffered when human divers surface too quickly -- might be triggered in whales after sonar exposure.
Although the restrictions wouldn't apply to the type of sonar suspected in the deaths of San Juan Islands porpoises, the move is "a major step forward" in preventing expansion of sonar's use, said Joel Reynolds, director of the Marine Mammal Protection Project with the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Read the entire story from the P-I:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/
local/143752_sonar14.html