Posts Tagged ‘Noise’
Boat speed threatens endangered orcas
A new study on noise pollution published in the online journal, PLOS ONE has identified boat speed rather than size as being more of a threat to a group of endangered orcas. Researchers monitoring of pod of orcas in the waters off Washington (US) found that speed was a more influential factor than how big a…
Read MoreUS Navy forced to stop using harmful sonar in training exercises
A legal battle over the use of powerful sonar, and explosives in naval exercises has ended with the US Navy agreeing to limit their future use in any training to avoid potential harm to whales, dolphins and other marine mammals off Hawaii and California. The decision comes after the US fisheries service was legally challenged…
Read MorePhotographers fined for flying drones close to orcas
US authorities have fined two people for allegedly flying drones too close to a pod of orcas in Washington state. In what could well be the first case of its kind, the pair have been prosecuted after capturing footage of the ocras in the Haro Strait, just east of Vancouver Island, Canada. The U.S. Department of Fisheries and Oceans…
Read MoreNew understanding of whale communication
Sound is the most important sense for whales. They use it to communicate with another as well as finding their way around the oceans, and in some species to catch their prey too. Up to now it has not been clear why different whales have evolved with different systems to hear but now scientists think…
Read MoreLeading scientists call on Obama to stop noise pollution threat
A letter from over 50 leading scientists has been sent to US President Barack Obama asking him to keep the Atlantic Ocean free of planned, noisy oil exploration projects in order to protect whales, dolphins, and other marine life. The letter follows the recent announcement by the Obama administration that parts of the Atlantic coast…
Read MoreCould British navy hunt for Russian sub be linked to whale deaths?
The mass stranding of rare, deep-diving whales along the coast of Ireland last December could be linked to a reported search by British navy warships for a suspected Russian submarine. Eight rarely sighted Cuvier’s beaked whales have been found off the Irish coast in recent weeks together with a number of common dolphins, a minke…
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