Sonar vs. Whales: Guess Who Loses?

Deafening sonar will continue off the coast of Southern California due to a new Supreme Court ruling. The decision was made with a 5-4 vote, and will lift restrictions on the Navy's use of sonar which are used for U.S. Navy training exercises.

Obviously this decision is not setting well with environmentalists. Whales, which use echolocation as a way to hunt and navigate, use sound echoes as a way to provide them with information about water depth, shorelines, obstacles, prey and the seafloor. When sonar is produced it can deafen, disrupt whales' behavioral patterns and cause them to suffer from decompression sickness. Because some sonar sounds are equivalent to that of a rocket blast, whales lose their bearings and cannot steer themselves properly. They also lose their ability to hunt and capture food. Not only does this cause great bodily stress, it can also cause mass beach stranding, serious injuries and even death.

The Navy, which defends its right to continue to use long-range sonar, claim that quieter submarines deployed by such countries as China and North Korea are a threat to our country if they enter our waters undetected. The Supreme Court apparently feels that national security outweighs whale health. With this ruling, the Supreme Court has granted President Bush the power to exempt the U.S. Navy from environmental laws which curb the use of long range sonar in the North Pacific.

It is a sad day for whales and sea animals. Once again they are losing. The problem is as these types of rulings continue; animals are left with little recourse. More and more animals, wildlife areas and plants are subject to disregard, and ultimately we will all pay the heavy price this attitude brings.