UK Marine Life in Danger from UK Navy's New Sonar Devices
Andy Tompkins
Distribution Source : PRWeb
Date : Tuesday, July 05, 2005
(PRWEB) July 5, 2005 -- The issue of intense, human-produced underwater
Ocean Noise is emerging as a critical new area of environmental and
political debate.
Sonar systems used by the military are known to confuse whales,
dolphins and other marine life, resulting in many deaths and injuries.
Sonar 2087, which will be fitted to all Royal Navy anti-submarine
frigates within the next two years, is no different. The first vessel
HMS Westminster has now been installed with the sonar and the second
HMS Northumberland will be installed September 2005.
The Marine Connection, the UK-based charity committed to working
internationally for the care and protection of dolphins and whales, has
been calling for an independent, public enquiry into the potential
effects of Sonar 2087.
Liz Sandeman, Director of Operations of the charity said: "In the
coming few days, further trials of the system will take place in the
most important whale habitat in UK waters, the NW Approaches off
Scotland. This area is not only known for Blue, Fin, Humpback, Minke
and Sperm whales but also numerous different species of dolphins."
"The power of this new system, the number of decibels that it can
produce and the distance that it can travel will undoubtedly have an
effect on the marine life around our UK coastline. For whales and
dolphins whose entire lives and behaviour are shaped by extremely
delicate sensing of all sound - such noise must be incredibly painful.
Low frequency sonar can travel hundreds of miles through our oceans,
capable of generating well over 200 decibels." Liz added.
The purpose of S2087? To provide the Royal Navy with an underwater
sensor capable of detecting submarines from large distances.
In October 2004 the European Parliament adopted a Resolution on the
environmental effects of high-intensity active naval sonars, showing
its strong support for the need to regulate and reduce one of the most
significant threats to whales. An overwhelming majority of MEPs called
on the EU Member States to stop deploying high-intensity active naval
sonar. In November 2004, Delegates at The meeting of the parties to
ACCOBAMS (the United Nations Environment Program's Agreement on the
Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and
Contiguous Atlantic Area) adopted a resolution recognising that
man-made ocean noise as a dangerous pollutant to marine life.
The Marine Connection (www.marineconnection.org ) is urging the
Ministry of Defence to limit the use of its powerful new sonar system
until its short-term and long-term effects are better understood. It
also asks the Ministry to monitor and investigate strandings and deaths
of marine mammals that may be associated with the forthcoming trials in
a publicly open and transparent manner.
Media enquiries to:
John Hicks
Headline Promotions Press & PR
Mobile: 07771 575 654
Fax: 0707 520 9717
For interview or quotes, please contact:
Liz Sandeman
Director of Operations
The Marine Connection
Tel: 020 7499 9196
Out of hours mobile: 07931 366 352
www.marineconnection.org
Editor's Notes:
1: The next Sonar 2087 trials will take place in the NW Approaches from
2nd to 6th July 2005. These are In Service Demonstration (ISD) sea
trials involving HMS Westminster and aim to provide evidence to support
the acceptance of Sonar 2087 into service.
2: Whales and dolphins are acoustic animals, they use echolocation to
hunt for food, find companions and find their way around the oceans,
sonar can easily disrupt their normal ability to navigate. A report
published last year in the journal Nature said that sonar off the
Canary Islands in 2002 prompted 10 beaked whales to surface too
quickly, causing decompression sickness, an ailment known among divers
as the bends.
3: The first direct evidence of a correlation between the strandings of
cetaceans and the use of active high-intensity naval sonar was observed
five years ago. In March 2000, sixteen whales from at least three
species stranded over 150 miles of shoreline along the northern
channels of the Bahamas. The beachings occurred within 24 hours of U.S.
Navy ships using mid-frequency sonar in the same channels. Post-mortem
examinations found, in all whales examined, haemorrhaging in and around
the ears and other tissues related to sound conduction or production,
such as the larynx and auditory fats, some of which was debilitative
and potentially severe.
The Marine Connection is a UK based charity committed to working
internationally for the care and protection of dolphins and whales.
Through continuous education, campaigning and research, we effectively
contribute towards a world that understands and respects all cetaceans
and their natural habitat. Threats to marine mammals have never been so
great as they are today, therefore by raising public awareness to these
threats and pressing for more effective legislation, the Marine
Connection are actively securing a safer future for dolphins, whales
and the marine environment.
###
THE MARINE CONNECTION
John Hicks
07771 575 654
E-mail Information