Fw; U.S. Navy to test hearing of Beluga whales
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TACOMA, Wash.
(May 10, 2001 9:36 p.m. EDT) - The U.S. Navy, which was criticized for
the deaths of whales after sonar tests in the Bahamas, will test two
beluga whales to discover which frequencies the marine mammals can hear.
Last year, animal rights advocates blamed Navy sonar transmissions for a
mass beaching of whales in the Bahamas. Studies showed all the dead
whales suffered severe hearing trauma.
Tom LaPuzza, of the Navy's Marine Mammals Program, said there was no
scientific evidence linking Navy tests to whale beachings.
The whales, Beethoven and Turner, are being exposed to a variety of
sounds in their pool at the Tacoma's Point Defiance Aquarium.
Trainer Traci Belting is trying to teach the 1,300-pound whales to make
noise in response to underwater tones they hear.
LaPuzza said the long-term study is designed to increase knowledge about
how and what whales hear and the effects of noise in their environment.
The first phase, which begins as soon as Turner and Beethoven learn to
sound off when they hear a tone, will test hearing range. A second phase
will study how background noise interferes with the whales sense of
hearing. A third phase will expose the whales to loud noise to study
temporary hearing impairment from extreme sound.
Toni Frohoff, a marine biologist with the Humane Society of the United
States, said the third phase of the testing could be cruel to whales.
"I'm concerned that the welfare of these animals might be compromised
for goals that have nothing to do with marine mammal conservation and
protection," she said.
The National Marine Fisheries Service is currently considering the
Navy's request for permission to operate an even more powerful sonar
system for submarine detection that would be used in more than 80
percent of the world's oceans.
Some experts compare the sound of the proposed new tests to a rocket
taking off.
"There's enough scientific research that has been done on the hearing
capability of these animals for (the Navy) to figure out the
consequences of what's going on at sea from setting off those
detonators," said Stephanie Boyles, spokeswoman for People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals.