Aug 5, 2007 6:18 pm US/Pacific
Activists Try To Protect Whales From Navy's Sonar
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
-
-
The environmental groups are demanding the Navy takes what NRDC calls "common sense" steps, like checking test areas and postponing the tests when marine mammals are in the area. (file)
AP
Ocean advocates hope to convince a federal judge Monday to temporarily prevent the United States Navy from conducting 14 tests of high-powered sonar devices believed to cause unbearable pain to whales and other ocean mammals.
Attorneys for the Natural Resources Defense Council will be in U.S. District Court to ask for a temporary restraining order to block the Navy from conducting tests of high-powered underwater noise generators that they blame for causing whales to intentionally beach themselves, either in confusion or in pain.
In court documents, NRDC officials cite evidence that "is very convincing and appears overwhelming" that the very-loud undersea noises can travel hundreds of miles undersea and cause whale stranding.
At issue is a mid-frequency sonar system called the SURTASS LTA system, which animal rights activists say caused numerous whale and dolphin stranding when it was last tested in 2003. Suits have been filed in the time since then, with the Navy having lost a key decision several years ago.
The environmental groups are demanding the Navy takes what NRDC calls "common sense" steps, like checking test areas and postponing the tests when marine mammals are in the area.
The Navy has noted that active sonars have been used around the world since World War II. And Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter has said NRDC's request to be notified of exactly when and where the sonar exercises will be conducted "could reasonably be expected to cause exceptionally-grave damage to national security."
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
