A settlement has been reached regarding the Navy's use of mid-frequency sonar around marine mammals. The US Navy has been embroiled in a battle regarding the use of sonar near whales and other marine animals.Environmentalists charge that the high pitched sounds from active sonar hurts and possible kills whales and other marine mammals. Necropsies of beached whales found in Greece, the Canary Islands and the Bahamas found signs of internal bleeding near their ears.
Under the settlement the Navy agrees to:
- reduce or shut down sonar when whales or dolphins are spotted close to ships
- look for whales through passive sonar, lookouts and aircraft during training so that the animals can be avoided;
- use shipboard software to scan training areas for marine mammals and to plot a course meant to avoid sensitive areas when possible.”
Source: The Los Angeles Times
