Publisher’s Notebook: Now Hear This...

BY ANNE SOBLE

The first calls for restrictions on the use of sonar by the U.S. Navy in training exercises off the California coast were made more than 20 years ago by environmentalists and marine biologists who held humans responsible for their adverse impacts on the magnificent and intelligent denizens of the deep. Among those speaking out was the late Mary Frampton of Save Our Coast. The California Coastal Commission’s recent action to make some of these restrictions a reality is testimony to the work of SOC and many other groups that provided a voice for the voiceless of the sea. It’s impossible to enumerate how many letters were written and opinions expressed by those who believed that sonar, especially high levels of sonar, impacted habitat. Navy officials ridiculed the science and even questioned the patriotism of anyone who dared to say that testing should be limited.

It took litigation to get the Navy to the table and the first step toward preparation of a mitigation plan for controlling sonar use in oceanic training exercises. Although the Navy still has to respond to the commission’s recommendations, there is general agreement to avoid sensitive marine habitats and pay particular concern to whale migration patterns and potential interference from sonar to mammal communication and navigation. The technology used for tracking submerged objects, such as submarines, has been shown to adversely affect most marine mammals. Loss of hearing and physical damage to aural anatomy has been documented in beached animals and carcasses. The Navy denied this for decades, but some of the recent research indicates that incidents of marine mammal death and unusual detrimental behavior (including pod separation, loss of sense of direction, and alteration of feeding patterns) correlate with the presence of exercises utilizing sonar. Studies continue to look at a broad array of marine life, as some scientists think the impact also extends to reproduction capability, which is of particular concern with endangered species. As a result, the CCC was urged to exercise its ability to act on matters beyond its geographic boundaries because of their potential to impact marine life off the California coast. It took many years, but Save Our Coast, the National Resources Defense Council and all the other groups that were involved in this, fought the good fight and won.