Kahului rally protests Navy exemption from sonar testing regulations that harm marine life. “We need to keep the pressure on them. We need to go to court.”During a sign-waving rally against the Navy’s active sonar testing in Pacific waters on Friday, March 16, whale advocates from all over the island lined Queen Ka‘ahumanu Avenue in Kahului to spread awareness about the harmful effects that anthropogenic noise can have on sea life and the Navy’s noncompliance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
According to the International Ocean Noise Coalition (IONC), anthropogenic noise levels in the marine environment, noise created by humans including intense active mid-range and low frequency sonar, are increasing at an alarming rate, and ocean noise levels in some areas have doubled every decade for the past 60 years.
Environmentalists say whales have stranded themselves on beaches after being exposed to high-intensity mid-frequency sonar from the Navy. The sonar is also claimed to interfere with the ability of marine mammals to navigate, hunt, take care of their offspring, communicate with each other and avoid predators.
Jeff Pantukhoff, executive director of the Whaleman Foundation and one of Friday’s sign-wavers, explained that sonar testing done between 150 and 200 decibels feels “like standing next to the Atlas 5 rocket” to the whales, causing hemorrhaging around the eyes, brain, ears and lungs.
Three rallies took place simultaneously on Friday on Maui, Kaua‘i and O‘ahu. Coordinated by Dr. Marsha Green, a professor at Albright College in Pennsylvania and president of the Ocean Mammal Institute, March 16 was chosen because of its significance as the anniversary of the “Bahamas stranding,” when sonar testing was said to have caused the stranding and death of 17 marine mammals in 2000.
The Navy has since admitted responsibility for those deaths, said Pantukhoff, although this hasn’t stopped them from continuing tests that in the next two years will expose over 10,000 endangered humpback whales to harmful levels of sonar in Hawai‘i.
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), who three years ago won a federal case that put limitations on the Navy’s use of low-frequency active (LFA) sonar to an area in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, argued that the noise it creates can seriously injure or even kill whales and other marine animals that depend on their sensitive hearing for survival.
The Navy’s LFA sonar system generates intense underwater sound waves that can travel in excess of 300 miles. LFA military sonar was developed to detect submarines at great distances.
In November of 2006, a federal appeals court rejected an attempt by the Bush administration to overturn a ruling that restricted the U.S. Navy’s use of LFA.
Since losing its appeal, the Navy had to stick to the agreement with the NRDC, but in January of this year, the Navy refused to comply with the sonar training restrictions, arguing that the California Coastal Commission rules were outside of its jurisdiction.
The U.S. Pacific Fleet said in a statement that the commission’s rules couldn’t be applied beyond the scope of state waters, three nautical miles from shore. The commission then agreed to the exercises, but only if it took precautions with high-powered sonar, explosives, mine drops and missile launches from ships, submarines, helicopters, airplanes and amphibious vehicles.
“The Navy has exempted itself,” said Pantukhoff. “Our security and defense are important, but if we kill all this marine life—90 percent of large fish are already gone—it’s really kind of ludicrous. We want the public to understand that this same thing can happen in Hawai‘i.”
“The Navy won’t comply with the restrictions,” said Green, “so we need to keep the pressure on them. We need to go to court.”
According to Pantukhoff, testing is done today throughout the islands, even inside sanctuary and monument waters. “There’s nowhere for these mammals to hide.”
Barbara Kranichfeld, a Ha‘iku resident who has been aiding Dr. Green in her efforts for nearly 12 years, said that this is a new issue at the United Nations, where Green spoke last year and will speak again this June. “Out of all the countries,” said Kranichfeld, “Japan and the U.S. didn’t want to admit that there was an issue with ocean noise. The Navy feels as if they’re above the law. We need to show political pressure—the ocean is our future.”
Dr. Green will speak at the Pacific Whale Foundation’s Ocean Discovery Center in Ma‘alaea this Thursday, March 22, at 6 p.m. For more information call 249-8811.
Find out more about this issue at www.savethewhalesagain.org or www.oceannoisecoalition.org.