Sonar used to detect submarines can injure whales, dolphins, seals and walruses and disturb their feeding and mating
Environmentalists and marine mammifĂšrs advocates welcome this significant step attributed to the Natural Resources Defense Council. This American NGO declared that sonar use authorized since 2012 for a period of 5 years to detect enemy submarines in the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, violated the law of marine protection mammals, a 1972 law aimed at protecting the marine ecosystem.
The regulation adopted by the 2012 National Marine Fisheries Service authorized the use of sonar by the US Navy to allocate each year about 30 whales and two dozen pinnipeds such as seals and sea lions. The US Navy was still required to cut, or at least delay, the use of sonar whether a mammal approaching a ship. The most powerful sonars were not allowed near the coast or marine protected areas.
“A significant proportion of the habitat of marine mammals in the world is under-protected”
La cour d’appel a statuĂ© au final que l’autorisation accordĂ©e par le gouvernement amĂ©ricain en 2012 a Ă©chouĂ© Ă rĂ©pondre Ă un article de la loi de protection exigeant un programme de dĂ©fense militaire marin en temps de paix ayant “le moins d’impact possible sur les mammifĂšres marins”.
“Le rĂ©sultat est qu’une proportion significative de l’habitat des mammifĂšres marins du monde est sous-protĂ©gĂ©e”, selon la dĂ©cision.
