Navy Sonar Testing Range (NC)
SELC urges Navy to protect Carolina coast from sonar damage
In January 2005, more than three dozen whales beached and died on the Outer Banks of North Carolina within hours of a U.S. Navy sonar training exercise. And now, with the Navy's October, 2005 announcement that the coast of North Carolina is the leading site for a planned sonar testing range, much more is at risk.
©Georgia Department of Natural Resources/NOAA
The North Atlantic Right Whale is the most endangered whale off American coasts and annually travels through North Carolina waters. Sonar testing so near its travel route could seriously impact the species.
While the exact cause of deaths of the beached whales on the Outer Banks has not been conclusively established, sonar testing and the increased boat traffic of the proposed range could have serious effects on marine life, including critically endangered species such as the right whale and the loggerhead turtle. In addition, North Carolina fisheries have a $2.3 billion annual impact on the state's economy - among the highest in the nation - with the state's coastal waters playing a vital role.
Alarmingly, the Navy's Draft Environmental Impact Statement grossly underestimates the impact sonar testing site could have on marine life. Through comprehensive research and analysis of existing field data, the Southern Environmental Law Center has developed a more accurate and comprehensive picture of the marine life in and near the proposed testing range. This research has shown the area to be much more biologically productive, more diverse, more active, and more abundant than the Navy understands.
In January, 2006, SELC submitted comments to the Navy, urging it to take measures to reduce the harm sonar poses to whales, dolphins, fish and other marine resources and to conduct additional analysis of the effects the training range would have on the region's environment and economy.
Of particular concern to SELC are:
Whales: Active sonar interferes with whales' ability to communicate and navigate and can cause physical harm, even death. Several whale species found off the North Carolina coast are endangered, including the North Atlantic Right Whale, and the Navy's plans could push them over the edge. SELC compiled date to show that the seasonal behavior of the right whale is unpredictable and that they are present in higher numbers than the Navy estimates. Furthermore, when they do pass through North Carolina waters, they swim in close proximity to the proposed testing range, not the five miles away that the Navy contends.
Fisheries: Little is known about the impacts of sonar on various fish species, but scientific studies provide evidence that sonar can cause profound physical damage and cause fish to avoid noisy areas altogether. Such impacts, if realized, could be devastating to coastal communities and fishermen.
Sea turtles: SELC compiled data to show that sea turtles, including the endangered loggerhead turtle, have much higher populations that the Navy estimates in its Draft EIS and that the area near the proposed sonar testing range is especially important to their survival. Not only do high numbers of turtles swim in and near the proposed testing range, but the nearby sea turtle sanctuary, established in 1980, provides an important nesting area. The Navy's proposed submarine training range threatens this sanctuary and would undermine 25 years of commitment to helping the endangered sea turtles survive.
