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Animal welfare sues US navy
20/10/2005 14:17 - (SA)
Los Angeles - American environmental groups on Wednesday sued the US Navy over its use of a type of ear-splitting sonar that they say can cause internal bleeding and even death in whales and dolphins.
The coalition of groups claims the navy's use of "active sonar" to detect submarines and other underwater objects in areas inhabited by protected marine creatures violates the US law.
The sonar works by flooding large areas of the ocean with loud bursts of sound, which researchers say has caused hearing loss and organ damage in whales and can harm other marine mammals.
"There is no serious scientific dispute that the mid-frequency active sonar systems used by the navy can kill, injure and disturb marine mammals," stated the suit, which is supported by former James Bond star Pierce Brosnan.
"The available scientific data also strongly suggest a long-standing correlation between naval exercises and the mass stranding of beaked whales, going back decades," added the complaint filed in Los Angeles.
The plaintiffs, including the Natural Resources Defence Council and Jean-Michel Cousteau, are challenging the use of active sonar that uses mid-range sonic frequencies.
They accuse the navy of violating the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires the preparation of an environmental assessment report for major government actions that have an impact on the environment.
The groups also accuse the navy of flouting the Endangered Species Act, which orders the government to ensure that its actions do not jeopardize any endangered species, as well as the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which makes it a crime to disturb marine mammals.
In addition to seeking environmental analysis of the mid-frequency sonar's use, the plaintiffs seek to force the navy to take precautions, such as avoiding important whale habitat when testing or training with the sonar.
"This is not a question of environment versus national security," Joel Reynolds, a lawyer for Natural Resources Defence Council, told reporters. "We can have both and we must have both because that's what the law requires."
The lawsuit follows a similar complaint over lower-frequency sonar that was settled two years ago.
The environmentalists acknowledge that not much is publicly known about the high-intensity sonar systems, which are used by navies across the world.
In 2000, seven whales were found dead on a beach and others were stranded in the Bahamas after the US navy allegedly used sonar reported to have exceeded a whopping 235 decibels, the groups say.
Since then, the US Navy has continued using the sonar, including on a training mission off the coast of the eastern state of North Carolina, that took place in waters inhabited by endangered species, the suit said.
- AFP
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