Dolphins in sonar trouble?

The US government has launched an investigation into whether the mass beaching of dolphins in south Florida this past week was caused by top secret naval operations, officials said.

More than 60 disoriented dolphins swam into ankle-deep waters off the Florida Keys near the town of Marathon last Wednesday, prompting a massive rescue operation involving wildlife officials and dozens of volunteers.

"The navy takes this very seriously and is, of course, interested in the outcome" of the investigation, Senior Chief Gregg Snaza, a spokesman for the US Fleet Force Command, said in a telephone interview from Norfolk, Virginia.

Scientists and environmental activists have repeatedly charged that powerful high-pitched sonars used by navy surface ships and submarines for navigation and targeting purposes is causing distress among marine mammals such as whales and dolphins, deafening and disorienting them and, eventually, prompting their mass stranding.

source:
english.aljazeera

we all know about the dolphin experiments for the u.s. navy,
i heard they are very good in hunting down mines in the sea.
dolphins are very found of people and like their company,
but as always, man's ambitions for a superior and more efficent weaponary,
has caused the nature to suffer.
this time one of my favorite animals in the world:
the dolphin.
if the tuna fisherman dont kill them,
the u.s. navy will, with this kind of "experiments"!



[edit on 6-3-2005 by Souljah]

Dolphins are soo sweet!! I think that they are even more intelligent then some humans!!!

They were land creatures but went back to the sea... they arent resticted to the laws and inventions that destroy worlds. They have fun and enjoy themselves. They are socialable and loveable creatures.... they are truly a superior species!!

Originally posted by wyatt43
Dolphins are soo sweet!! I think that they are even more intelligent then some humans!!!

They were land creatures but went back to the sea... they arent resticted to the laws and inventions that destroy worlds. They have fun and enjoy themselves. They are socialable and loveable creatures.... they are truly a superior species!!

yes i agree with you!
for me dolphins are one of the most beautiful animals on this planet.
and to see 60 of them in angle deep water, just becuse some navy admiral, wants to have a new kind of sonar, just boils my blood!

god knows what the navy are really doing to this animals.
best for me not to know. sometimes ignorance is bliss.

[edit on 6-3-2005 by Souljah]

Originally posted by Souljah



...but as always, man's ambitions for a superior and more efficent weaponary,
has caused the nature to suffer.
this time one of my favorite animals in the world:
the dolphin.
if the tuna fisherman dont kill them,
the u.s. navy will, with this kind of "experiments"!

Once again, a decent story gets ruined with personal political bias


Couldn't agree more that if the beaching is due to the Navy practices it should be stopped, or at the very least moved to another more appropriate location. But this love of dolphins and the environment you claim to have smells selective to me. Do you drive a gas powered car?, wear leather by chance, eat meat that you dont go out and personally kill? Compared to factory farms, or industrial polution, the navy's excercises pale in comparison. I'm thinking this post is yet another round-the-back slam on the military.

If you want to make a real difference, go after the biggies. Hell, I'll join ya!

Originally posted by Partyof1
Once again, a decent story gets ruined with personal political bias

Couldn't agree more that if the beaching is due to the Navy practices it should be stopped, or at the very least moved to another more appropriate location. But this love of dolphins and the environment you claim to have smells selective to me. Do you drive a gas powered car?, wear leather by chance, eat meat that you dont go out and personally kill? Compared to factory farms, or industrial polution, the navy's excercises pale in comparison. I'm thinking this post is yet another round-the-back slam on the military.

If you want to make a real difference, go after the biggies.

Hell, I'll join ya!

i understand your point.
it is a story aimed at the u.s. navy, based on enviromental issues.
i am aware of the world wide factory farming and industrial pollution.
but still stories like this never cease to amaze me.
always finding new ways of harming our enviroment.

its like spitting in our own soup.

so, if we want to make a diffrence go after the "biggies"?
how do we do that exactly?

Originally posted by Terapin
I submited this subject to ATS as a News story but it didnt get posted. There is alot of evidence that the Navys use of sonar is harmful to marine mamals. There have been other incidences of dolphins and other marine mamals being killed by Naval Sonar. The Royal navy ( england) is in the process of upgrading their sonar systems because they know the harm it causes and are going to a more advanced passive sonar system that also has the advantage of not giving away a submarines locaton with the classic PING of active sonar.

i dont think they really care if they harm any of the marine life.
they just want a new and improved sonar system, to detect submarines.
they are just "doing their job" right?
and their job is not protecting the enviroment, but to protect a country!

It is interesting to note that the Navy refuses to discuss whether or not Sonar was used in this training excersize. There is no reason not to disclose the information unless they wish to deny any connection to the dolphin kill. The training excersize was with navy seals and simply disclosing whether or not sonar was used wouldnt reveal any military secrets. That they ARE going to investigate any connection to the dolphin kill clearly indicates that they were indeed using active sonar during the training mission.

the navy refuses to discuss, because they know they are doing wrong, but are still doing it, since it is cheaper and more efficient at this time.

The navy's experiments with powerful sonars became front page news in March 2000, when members of four different species of whales stranded themselves on beaches in the Bahamas after a US naval battle group used active sonar in the area. Investigators later found that the whales were bleeding internally around their brains and ears, according to environmental activists.

Last year, the European Parliament called on the EU's 25 member states to stop deploying high-intensity active sonar until more is known about its environmental impact. But the US navy insists high-intensity sonar is important for the success of its missions.

Can you imagine what sonar must sound to dolphins, whales, and marine life in general. It's got to be worse then have two pots colliding with each other at full force in front on your ear. I'm pro-military advancement, but I feel for the marine life, being a surfer, it's troubling to see that these creatures that are so playful and carefree dying. Hopefully one day, the military will be able to use a different method of submarine detection that doesn't harm marine life.