The Associated Press - On Tuesday, Aug. 12, the U.S. Navy agreed to limit where it operates certain sonar systems criticized as a threat to whales and other marine mammals. Overseen by a federal judge in San Francisco, the agreement restricts the Navy’s use of low-frequency sonar to specific military training areas near Hawai‘i and in the western Pacific Ocean. Environmentalists argued that the extremely loud, low-pitch sounds used to detect submarines at great distances disrupted the behavior of whales hundreds of miles away. A Navy spokesman said they were satisfied with the settlement. The settlement restricts low-frequency sonar to more than 50 nautical miles from Hawai‘i’s main islands and prohibits training near the Hawai‘i Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary and the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.

In a separate case, the Navy is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider a federal appeals court ruling limiting the more widely used mid-frequency sonar in training exercises off Southern California’s coast. The Navy argued the decision threatens the readiness of sailors and Marines while providing limited environmental benefit. Earlier this year, President Bush issued a waiver exempting the Navy from coastal environmental regulations so training could continue while the Navy appealed a lower court’s decision. But the 9th Circuit sided with the lower court and said the Navy must restrict its sonar training while the case is pending.