Whales lose :(

[Hippie Staff]

WASHINGTON (Nov. 12) - The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that military training trumps protecting whales in a dispute over the Navy's use of sonar in submarine-hunting exercises off the coast of southern California.

Writing for the majority in the court's first decision of the term, Chief Justice John Roberts said the most serious possible injury to environmental groups would be harm to an unknown number of the marine mammals the groups study.

http://news.aol.com/article/supreme-court-says-navy-trumps-whales/245763

I'd like to add to this..in addition to the marine life now at risk due to this decision, there were some mysterious diver deaths years ago - very advanced died for 'no apparent' reason. Sonar?

[LIBRA]

That is too bad. How long can whales live for?

Really sad day.

I hadnt heard of the divers deaths, that is strange.

[TreeLove]

what a terrible ruling! and the sarcasm in that article:

"Chief Justice John Roberts said the most serious possible injury to environmental groups would be harm to an unknown number of the marine mammals the groups study."

honestly!!

but this really seems in line with the way our military has been organizing itself the last few years.

Army deploys combat unit in US for possible civil unrest, is another interesting article found here: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/sep2008/mili-s25.shtml

This is what the Humane Society has to say about the Navy's environmental impact draft and the possible effects of sonar on whales:

"The Navy has produced an Environmental Impact Statement, as required by law, to assess the effects of LFA sonar technology on the marine environment. Based on the EIS, the National Marine Fisheries Service is producing regulations that would govern how LFA sonar could be used in the world's oceans. The HSUS (along with several other organizations) believes the Navy and NMFS are proceeding without giving adequate consideration to the potential harm LFA sonar could inflict on the marine environment. We have produced comments at every step of the regulatory process, and we have communicated via various channels with the Navy, NMFS, and Congressional officials expressing our concerns about LFA sonar. Our principal concern is that the environmental analyses upon which the Navy and NMFS are relying have several shortcomings:

* Their assessments are based on insufficient data about how sound affects marine mammals, sea turtles, and other marine animals.
* They overinterpret the small amount of data available on sound and marine mammals, and reach non-precautionary (and poorly supported) conclusions that LFA sonar will not harm marine mammals in any significant way.
* They fail to adequately consider the possibility that LFA sonar could seriously injure and even kill marine mammals, sea turtles, and other marine animals. At the same time, they place unjustified confidence in the Navy's ability to prevent such injuries and deaths through detection of marine animals within a "zone of exclusion" around the sound source.
* They do not discuss alternate hypotheses for observed marine mammal reactions to loud, low-frequency sound.
* They set an arbitrary standard for the level of sound that will harass or injure marine mammals and sea turtles. This standard has no empirical basis and is vastly less precautionary than standards being established by other countries.
* They neglect to adequately discuss the shortcomings of LFA sonar in accomplishing the Navy's goal of detecting "quiet" enemy submarines while remaining undetected itself.

In March 2000, a mass stranding of beaked whales, minke whales, and one dolphin occurred off the Bahamas after a Navy exercise in which mid-frequency active sonars were used. While beaked whale mass strandings have occurred in the past (many coincident with nearby naval maneuvers), this was the first time that a qualified scientist was on hand to collect the appropriate samples from fresh carcasses to determine cause of death. The most recent results of the on-going investigation into this incident indicate that these whales died from the impacts of a loud sound acting on their air spaces—that is, from resonance effects. The Navy has had to admit that mid-frequency sonars may pose a serious risk to certain marine mammal species; even so, it continues to maintain that LFA sonar, which operates at a lower frequency than the Bahamas sonars, will be safe for all marine mammals. The HSUS strongly objects to this cavalier interpretation.
http://www.hsus.org/marine_mammals/what_are_the_issues/noise_pollution_and_acoustic_harassment/sonar_acoustic_harassment.html

I have seen humpbacks playing, jumping, waving, they seem to live with such joy. I have dove down in the warm ocean and heard them singing. What a tragedy for the Earth if that song ever ceases.

Peace

[TreeLove]

found this in the news today. . . wonder if there is any connection?

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/11/23/whales.rescue.australia.ap/index.html?eref=rss_world