Supreme Court Overturns Navy Sonar Rule
The jury is still out on whether the Navy’s use of sonar is hurting whales or other marine mammals. But a 5-4 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court yesterday lifted part of a moratorium on using sonar in military testing when whales are in the vicinity.
Scientists have been studying the problem for years. They observe that shortly after a significant use of Naval sonar, whales and porpoises tend to beach themselves. But there is no conclusive evidence showing that sonar is harming or killing whales.
Several studies are underway to show the effects of man-made sonar on whales. Do they rise too rapidly from the deep ocean thinking they are tracking a tasty squid or are they performing dangerous diving maneuvers because they mistake the sonar for a predator?
Well, that’s what science is trying to figure out. It’ll be a few years until anything definitive can be proven. But the high court has given the Navy a partial exemption when it comes to using sonar near whales.
Watch the video Lethal Sounds: Deadly Sonar Harms Whales narrated by Pierce Brosnan.
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