Also see: Orcas: X-ray reveals 'smoking gun'? The Journal of The San Juan Islands 2jul03
Federal officials are investigating whether use of Navy sonar last week in Haro Strait provoked unusual behavior in several species of marine mammals, among them one of the three families of Southern resident orcas.
| “It
was as loud as any drag race and loud as any rock concert,” said Denise Wilk. She added it could be heard and felt above water, too. “It made my teeth hurt.” |
Those who witnessed the incident say there’s no doubt recurring blasts of sonar by a U.S. Navy ship passing through the strait frightened and possibly injured porpoises, orcas, and a Minke whale.
Dan and Denise Wilk of Orcas Island Eclipse Charters were leading a whale-watching expedition when a Minke whale came barreling toward their boat. It’s a sight she’s never seen before and isn’t likely to soon forget, Denise said.
“Every time the sonar sounded the Minke’s body flew out of the water,” she said. “It’s the only time I’ve ever seen that. Those type of whales don’t behave like that.”
From a bluff on San Juan Island, Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research was video-taping members of J-pod. The pod was loosely separated in its typical hunting pattern until the Everett-based USS Shoup, a naval destroyer, approached. The whales then huddled together, hugged the shore, and appeared stressed and disoriented as the ship passed with the sonar on, Balcomb said. Calls from Canadian Coast Guard prompted its shut-down after the destroyer was north of San Juan Island.
USS
Shoup
Length (overall) 509 feet
Beam 66 feet
Draft, navigation 31 feet
Displacement 9,300 tons
Speed 30+ knots
Everett
USS SHOUP DDG-86
FPO AP 96678-1300
Ph: (425) 304-5030
DSN: 727-5030
Calls to Navy officials were not returned before The Sounder went to press. However, Navy spokeswoman Lt. Karen Sellers told the Times Colonist (the Victoria, B.C. daily newspaper) the Navy is concerned and is examining the incident. Sellers said she does not believe use of sonar in the area violates standard policy.
“It was a huge saturation of sound,” Balcomb said. “The porpoises were racing to get out of the area and the Minke looked like it was freaking out.”
The 9-mile-wide stretch of Haro Strait separates Canada and the U.S. Balcomb said the May 5 incident is the fifth in which sonar has been activated there since early December; however, it marks the first time when orcas have been near. Several dead porpoises were found nearby following the sonar episode. They are being examined to determine the cause of death and injuries they may have suffered, he said.
“The sonar pings were so powerful (roughly 200 decibels) that they could be heard in the air by visitors along the shoreline of San Juan Island,” Balcomb said.
The U.S. Navy this week is seeking an exemption from the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Late last week, the Senate Armed Services Committee recommended exempting the defense department from having to comply with environmental laws, including the ESA and MMPA. The bill has yet to reach the full Senate floor.
Senator Patty Murray (D) believes weakening federal regulations that protect the environment is unnecessary, regardless of homeland security concerns or threats abroad.
“Our Armed Forces presently engaged in conflicts in Irag and Afghanistan are well-trained and are performing their missions with exemplary skill,” Murray said in a prepared statement. “These troops were trained at (Department of Defense) training sites to perform these duties without the need for additional exemptions from compliance with environmental laws.”
Wilk shares the senator’s belief. She said the reaction of the marine mammals to the sonar blasts, which repeated about every 60 seconds, was painful to watch.
“It was as loud as any drag race and loud as any rock concert,” said Denise Wilk. She added it could be heard and felt above water, too. “It made my teeth hurt.”
|
If
you have come to this page from an outside location click
here to get back to mindfully.org |