Science Video

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal regulators granted the Navy a permit Tuesday to use sonar in a maritime exercise despite environmentalists' concerns it could disturb or even kill whales and dolphins.

It was the first such permit granted to the Navy, and one environmental group, the Natural Resources Defense Council, said it would file a lawsuit Wednesday to prevent the sonar's use.

The monthlong exercise, which includes anti-submarine training, involves naval forces from eight nations. It began Monday off the Hawaiian Islands. The sonar part of the exercise begins after July 4 and lasts three weeks.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration gave the Navy a permit to use mid-frequency active sonar, which can affect marine mammals' behavior. In documents released Tuesday, NOAA determined that the exercise would cause no significant environmental impact.

NOAA also concluded that the Navy's use of the sonar was not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of threatened and endangered species - including the Hawaiian monk seal - in the exercise areas.

"The Navy and NOAA have worked hard these past several months to take the appropriate measures necessary to avoid harming marine life while also ensuring the realism of this vital multinational exercise," said Navy Rear Adm. James A. Symonds, director of naval environmental programs.

But the NRDC said using the sonar would be illegal.

"It is absurd to designate an area a Marine National Monument one week, and then authorize the Navy to blast it with high-intensity sonar the next," said Joel Reynolds, a senior attorney at NRDC and director of its Marine Mammal Protection Project. "It is possible for the Navy to train effectively without needlessly inflicting harm on marine life, and that is exactly what federal law requires."

The ships using the sonar would not be inside the national monument area, that President Bush designated in early June, in the waters off the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Instead, according to the Navy, the sonar would be used in waters surrounding the main Hawaiian Islands.

Navy spokesman Lt. Ryan Perry said the exercise is critical to national security, and specific steps will be taken to avoid or minimize any effect on marine life.

The exercise is designed to train sailors to detect and hunt stealthy submarines - a top priority of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Hawaiian waters provide the opportunity to realistically train for a variety of crises, Perry said.

Perry said the sonar operators will reduce active sonar power by 75 percent if a marine mammal is spotted within 1,094 yards of the ship, and drop it further if mammals are detected within 547 yards. They will turn off the sonar if the mammal is detected within 219 yards.

Earlier this year, NOAA said the sonar used during the Pacific Rim exercise in 2004 may have contributed to the mass stranding of more than 150 melon-headed whales in Hanalei Bay, Kauai. NOAA's study concluded the whales - which usually inhabit only deep water - may have heard the signals and headed into the shallow water.

While there was no conclusive finding, NOAA asked the Navy to reduce its sonar's power during this summer's exercises, and also asked the Navy to turn off active sonar when the whales come within a set distance.

The naval exercise runs from June 26 to July 28, and the sonar would be used for a three-week period.

"The sergeant is the Army." - General Dwight D. Eisenhower

Okay... quick lesson on posting from code intensive websites... after you copy the article, paste it into Notepad and remove the clutter, then copy and paste it as a post. That way any stray code will be removed...

Fox and MSNBC are nasty with their hidden code...

Oh, and I thought the sonar/wahle issue was proven beyond a shadow of doubt years ago in San Diego... Every time the Navy turned on a coastal based sytem to test it, pods of whales would beach themselves.

 

"The degenerative and loony should never be denigrated but, rather, thanked. In their absence, the rest of you would be obliged to fill congressional seats... positions naturally unsavory to the sane and honorable."

Thorax

By AUDREY McAVOY

The Associated Press

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - The Navy asked a federal appeals court Wednesday to block a court order that prevents it from using active sonar during its war-game exercises off Hawaii, an environmental group said.

The emergency motion, filed in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, seeks a stay on an order stopping the Navy from using the high-intensity sonar, said Daniel Hinerfeld, spokesman for the National Resources Defense Council.

The Navy was forced to abandon plans to use mid-frequency active sonar during the international maritime exercises after a federal judge issued the order. Environmentalists had sued, claiming the sound waves might kill or harm marine mammals.

The U.S. Pacific Fleet referred calls to Navy officials in Washington. Officials there did not immediately return calls.

A senior Navy admiral said earlier Wednesday he was hopeful the military would settle differences with environmentalists so his sailors could use active sonar during the exercises.

Sailors use active sonar by pumping sound waves through the ocean to hunt submarines.

The federal judge on Monday had ordered the two sides to discuss measures to minimize the impact sonar would have on marine mammals. The Navy and the plaintiffs, led by the Natural Resources Defense Council, are due to appear again in Los Angeles federal court on July 18.

"We're hopeful through further discussions there will be some relief down the road," said Vice Adm. Barry Costello, commander of the U.S. Third Fleet and director of the drills.

Costello said the Navy's ability to defend U.S. interests depends on its sailors learning to use active sonar and regularly practicing their skills.

"It's a national security issue to prepare for the next fight. And you cannot win in the future if you don't train against the threat," Costello told reporters as about 20 ships prepared to sail from Pearl Harbor for the exercises, which involve close to 40 ships and 19,000 sailors from eight nations.

The Navy plans to have its sailors listen for submarines only with passive sonar and visually look for "enemy" submarines during the drills.

Active sonar locates objects by analyzing sound bounced off them, while passive sonar involves analyzing noises generated by the objects. Environmentalists say active sonar may kill or harm whales and other mammals, possibly by damaging their hearing.

"Hundreds of thousands of American servicemen and women are deployed across the world in the war on terror. By bringing hope to the oppressed, and delivering justice to the violent, they are making America more secure. "
George W. Bush