- Whales and dolphins are being killed around Britain's
coasts by military sonar equipment, new research suggests.
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- The research on corpses of stranded whales, at the Zoological
Society of London, indicates that they have suffered a kind of decompression
sickness after surfacing too fast when the sonar interferes with their
navigation systems.
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- Tomorrow an alliance of more than 30 conservation and
animal welfare groups, including the WWF and the RSPCA, will hand in a
petition to the Secretary of State for Defence, John Reid, demanding an
inquiry.
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- And this week a meeting of the International Whaling
Commission in South Korea will discuss the increasing pressure on whale
populations, which includes a call to resume commercial whaling,
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- Mass strandings of whales have been increasing around
the world, and there is growing evidence that modern military sonar, designed
to detect the latest ultra-quiet submarines, is responsible.
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- Two years ago a judge ordered the US Navy to suspend
trials of a low-frequency sonar system amid fears that it was causing the
beaching of whales in the Bahamas. And the Spanish government introduced
a sonar exclusion zone around the Canary Islands after whales were stranded
during Nato naval exercises in 2002.
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- Now an investigation by The Independent on Sunday and
BBC1's Countryfile has revealed that a similar system used by the Royal
Navy may be a factor in increasing numbers of strandings of whales, dolphins
and porpoises around the UK coast.
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- Dr Paul Jepson, co-ordinator of marine mammal strandings
research at the Zoological Society of London, has found 15 dolphins, porpoises
and beaked whales with nitrogen bubbles in their livers or kidneys, suggesting
they have suffered decompression sickness similar to "the bends"
that afflict divers who surface too quickly.
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- Dr Jepson said: "For many years, scientists thought
that whales and dolphins were immune to conditions like decompression sickness
or the bends. These new findings tell us this probably isn't the case."
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- He added that this could be caused by "severe disruption
to normal diving behaviour" by sonar. Whales rely on sonar to navigate,
and this is thought to be drowned out by the machines. Disoriented, they
are washed up dead or dying.
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- British conservationists are particularly concerned about
the waters around the Hebrides, one of the most important areas both for
whales and for naval exercises. Skippers of whale-watching boats report
that sightings of the most common species, such as minke and humpback whales,
seem to fall dramatically when there are naval exercises.
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- They are also worried that a new, high-decibel system
- called Sonar 2087 and due to be brought into service next year - will
make the problem worse, and are calling on the Royal Navy to suspend trials.
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- Liz Sandeman, co-founder of Marine Connection, a conservation
group, says: "This is a low-frequency sonar which is known to travel
great distances. A single ping can last between 60 and 100 seconds and
reach 235 decibels."
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- But the Royal Navy says the system is vital to protect
its forces, that there are other sources of marine noise, and that there
is no evidence that their ships are to blame. Alex Lochrane, a former submarine
commander, says: "As a maritime nation we have to maintain our control
of the seas. Sonar 2087 represents for us the culmination of many years
of R&D and the best technological solution to the current threat."
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- CASUALTY LIST
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- South Florida, March: 80 dolphins beached as US Navy
sub trails sonar off Florida Keys. 30 died.
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- North Carolina, January: 39 whales die after US Navy
uses sonar.
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- Australia, November 2004: 17 whales diein Bass Strait;
50 stranded 300 miles away; another 165 whales and dolphins found dying
- all coincide with sonar activities and seismic surveys.
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- Hawaii, July 2004: 200 whales crowd into shallow waters
within range of Japanese and US Navy ships on exercise.
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- Canary Islands, July 2004: 14 whales stranded in Canary
Islands during Nato exercises involving sonar. Post mortems reveal they
died from decom-pression injuries. Strandings in 1985, 1988, 1989, 1991
and 2002 all coincide with naval exercises.
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- Washington state, May 2003: USS Shoup tests its sonar
in Haro Strait. "Dozens of porpoises and killer whales seemed to stampede
at once."
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- Bahamas, March 2000: Several spotted dolphins and whales
stranded within 24 hours of US Navy ships using sonar in area.
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- Virgin Islands, 1999: Four beaked whales die following
US Navy anti-submarine exercises.
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- Greece, 1996: 12 beaked whales die following Nato exercises.
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- Japan, 1990: Six whales die after US Navy test military
sonar.
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- ©2005 Independent News & Media (UK) Ltd.
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- http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/
- envir onment/story.jsp?story=648011
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