Experts: Man drowning out whale song
SEATTLE -- Scientists say noise pollution is drowning out the songs that whales and dolphins use to talk to each other, and that, they say, is threatening their survival.
The songs are the sounds whales use to communicate, to find mates, to orient themselves and to find food. Experts at the United Nations Wildlife Conference in Rome say studies now find these amazing mammals are losing touch with each other, and we humans are to blame.
"Whether they're private boats, whale watching boats or researching boats, they're all putting sound into the environment," said Scott Veirs, who studies whale acoustics in the Puget Sound.
Veirs says local orcas are changing their behavior because of us.
Environmental groups are also increasingly finding cases of beached whales and dolphins that can be linked to sound pollution.
Scientists say the use of military sonar or seismic testing could be scaring animals to dive and surface beyond their limits causing the bends.
"There are fewer fish in the sea. To be able to have your sonar to find those few fish out there becomes harder because there are more things distracting you," said Veirs.
To hear just how noisy it is underwater, a non profit group has created a Web site with links to five hydrophones across the Puget Sound. The underwater sounds at Lime Kiln State Park in the San Juan Islands, for example, sounds fairly quiet, compared to the noise at the Seattle Aquarium.
"You can hear all the ships," said Veirs.
Car traffic could also be affecting whales. In 1995 the L-pod got stuck chasing chum salmon into Dyes Inlet on the Kitsap Peninsula. For days, the whales avoided going under the bridge.
"With the traffic on the bridge, it creates vibrations down the columns that could create an acoustic curtain of sorts that perhaps discourage whales from going through," Veirs said.
To control underwater noise, experts suggested rerouting shipping and installing quieter engines, as well as cutting speed and banning tests and sonars in areas where animals live.
But a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court and the president last month removed restrictions on the Navy's sonar use citing national security interests.
"They can do remarkable things. They just need to be told that part of their job is to protect the marine environment around them," said Veirs.
Otherwise, experts say man will ultimately threaten the survival of the endangered animals.
Scientists at the UN conference also discussed a resolution that would motivate countries to reduce sound pollution. They say governments seen ready to take action.
The songs are the sounds whales use to communicate, to find mates, to orient themselves and to find food. Experts at the United Nations Wildlife Conference in Rome say studies now find these amazing mammals are losing touch with each other, and we humans are to blame.
"Whether they're private boats, whale watching boats or researching boats, they're all putting sound into the environment," said Scott Veirs, who studies whale acoustics in the Puget Sound.
Veirs says local orcas are changing their behavior because of us.
Environmental groups are also increasingly finding cases of beached whales and dolphins that can be linked to sound pollution.
Scientists say the use of military sonar or seismic testing could be scaring animals to dive and surface beyond their limits causing the bends.
"There are fewer fish in the sea. To be able to have your sonar to find those few fish out there becomes harder because there are more things distracting you," said Veirs.
To hear just how noisy it is underwater, a non profit group has created a Web site with links to five hydrophones across the Puget Sound. The underwater sounds at Lime Kiln State Park in the San Juan Islands, for example, sounds fairly quiet, compared to the noise at the Seattle Aquarium.
"You can hear all the ships," said Veirs.
Car traffic could also be affecting whales. In 1995 the L-pod got stuck chasing chum salmon into Dyes Inlet on the Kitsap Peninsula. For days, the whales avoided going under the bridge.
"With the traffic on the bridge, it creates vibrations down the columns that could create an acoustic curtain of sorts that perhaps discourage whales from going through," Veirs said.
To control underwater noise, experts suggested rerouting shipping and installing quieter engines, as well as cutting speed and banning tests and sonars in areas where animals live.
But a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court and the president last month removed restrictions on the Navy's sonar use citing national security interests.
"They can do remarkable things. They just need to be told that part of their job is to protect the marine environment around them," said Veirs.
Otherwise, experts say man will ultimately threaten the survival of the endangered animals.
Scientists at the UN conference also discussed a resolution that would motivate countries to reduce sound pollution. They say governments seen ready to take action.