Give us an AJessie Comba, Jessie Epstein, Carly Furman, James Kopco, Margaret Kurth, Elena Olsen, Gerardo Zepeda

A History of Strandings

September 2002: 18 beaked whales from three different species; Canary Islands May 2003: 11 harbor porpoises; Haro Strait, Washington StateJune 2004: 6 beaked whales; AlaskaJuly 2004: 200 melon-headed whales crowd into the shallow waters of Hanalei Bay in HawaiiJuly 2004: 4 beaked whales; Canary Islands January 2005: 34 whales of three species; Outer Banks of North Carolina

October 1989: 20 whales of three species; Canary IslandsDecember 1991: 2 Cuvier's beaked whales; Canary IslandsMay 1996: 12 Cuvier's beaked whales; west coast of Greece October 1999: 4 beaked whales; U.S. Virgin Islands March 2000*: 16 beaked whales in Bahamas May 2000: 1 beaked whale; Vieques May 2000: 3 beaked whales; Madeira April 2002: A beaked whale and a humpback whale; Vieques

…the CauseNaval Sonar?

How Active Sonar Works

Effects on whalesBehavior alteredMasking of soundsHemorrhaging in the

brainPermanent ear canal

damage Embolism from surfacing

too quicklyWhales strand themselves

to escape high intensity sound

• Sonar has also been known to cause hemorrhaging, seizures and memory loss in divers.

Navy’s Need for LFA TrainingTitle 10 of USC mandates

readiness for “prompt and sustained combat”

Advanced submarine technology requires active sonar

Need to train on realistic, rugged terrain of the littoral zone

Restriction on navy have made training valueless

Alternative TechnologiesPassive sonarNon-acoustic Sensors

MagneticSatellite

Integrated Sensory NetworksTraining simulations

Some Specific Exceptions• Navy must adhere to environmental statues

• Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), enforced

by National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)

• 1994 Amendment outlines mall take permit process

• NOAA Science Used

• Only small, negligible “takes” allowed

• Permit outlines restrictions and mitigation measures

Initial InvestigationsMid 90’s: NRDC sued climate researchers

use of LFA’s ’97 -’98: Navy halted LFA use

Funded research to investigate impact on whales

Found threshold to be 180 dbNavy uses LFAs at 235 db but with precautions

taken use has no biologically significant effects on whales

Short term behavioral changes

NGOs bring U.S. Navy to Court

Resulting Changes29 measures

developed over next 2 years that the Navy must adhere to

NGOs NRDCIFAWThe Humane Society of the United StatesCetacean Society InternationalLeague for Coastal ProtectionOcean Futures Society

Class Survey

Knowledge? National Security?

Whales? Whales vs. National Security?

Things to ConsiderThat government agencies may be too closely

tied to function objectivelyNGOs function as watchdogs to ensure the

government fulfills all of its dutiesProblem with developing policy based solely

on best scienceOcean is an open access resource and

difficult to regulate its use

Recent DevelopmentsIn 2007 Bush

exempted the Navy from certain restrictions

Was overruled but the issue is still being deliberated by the Supreme Court