The United States Navy, with a permit from the United States National Marine Fisheries Service, is currently off the west coast of the island of Hawaii broadcasting loud, low frequency sounds directed at hump back whales during their birthing season. Thousand of people from all over the world are trying to stop this experiment, that is killing whales and dolphins.
The tests involve blasting dangerously loud, low-frequency sounds at the whales—even those who are nursing and calving—until the whales show signs of “acute distress.” Animal advocates, environmentalists and respected scientists alike have condemned the tests, saying that the incredibly high-volume noise seriously impairs the whale’s reproductive behavior and causes severe injury; further, many have questioned the tests’ necessity in the post-Cold War era. The intense blasts of sound could reach up to 150 decibels at the Navy’s discretion, or even be increased to 215 decibels with the approval of the National Marine Fisheries Service. This is louder than the sound of a 747 jet at close range. Whale experts say that sound this loud causes deafness and severe lung trauma, and that the whales might not show outward signs of distress that the Navy can observe.
Read the full story at the LFAS Information Site
Recent Developments:
On Monday, March 9, the federal judge in Honolulu denied the temporary injunction sought by four environmental organizatons. A spokesperson for the Navy called the ruling a victory for the whale. We assume he was not referring to the whale described in the next development.
On Monday, March 9, observers from the Ocean Mammal Institute watched a baby hump back yesterday breaching 230 times over a five hour period. Such behavior is highly abnormal. There was no mother visible. We have a boat out this morning searching for the baby. Given the absence of the mother, the age of the baby, and the abnormal behavior, the baby is probably dying.
The Navy says they have no evidence that the observation is true.
A professional diver had seen six hammerhead sharks in Kailua Bay and Keave Bay. Apparently no one had seen sharks in those locations before, and the theory was that the testing had driven them in. The first sonic tests were on Sunday, and dolphins were not seen in Kealakakua Bay, where they come almost every day to rest, from then until Thursday.
With no public notice and after the close of the public comment period, the Navy amended their permit to allow "taking" breeding and calving hump backs (as opposed to only singing males), foraging sperm whales, dolphin, seals (Hawaiian monk seal is on the verge of extinction), and turtles.
A continuous presence of swimmers in the water has been organized to force the Navy to turn off the broadcasting equipment. The boat captains are giving up thousands of dollars in charters to ferry the swimmers out to the Navy boat and fronting the funds to operate the boat. Contributions are needed. Send to:
Animal Welfare Institute
Boix 3282
Friday Harbor, Washington 98250
In addition to sending a contribution to the Animal Welfare Institute, please inform everyone you know about this appeal.Also, please compose your own message to include a demand to stop the Navy attack on the whales and send by e-mail or fax to the following:
President Bill Clinton
president@whitehouse.com
Vice-President Al Gore
vicepresident@whitehouse.com
US Senators
Daniel Inouye
senator@inouye.senate.gov
DC fax 202 224 6747
Honolulu fax 808 541 2549
Daniel Akaka
DC fax 202 224 2126
Honolulu fax 808 545 4683
Congresspeople:
Neil Abercrombie
neil@abercrombie.house.gov
DC fax 202 225 4580
Honolulu phone 808 541 2570
Honolulu fax 808 533 0133
Patsy Mink
DC fax 202 225 4987
Honolulu phone 808 541 1986
Honolulu fax 808 538 0233
Honorable John H. Dalton
Secretary of the Navy
FAX (701) 614-3477
National Marine Fisheries Services, Office of Protected Species
Ann Terbush
fax 301 713 0376
Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR):
Joseph Johnson - Phone (703) 919-8959
Jsquared@nosc.mil
Richard Williamson - Phone (619) 524-3470
williamr@spawar.navy.mil
Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Installations and Environment):
Ph. (703) 695-4533
Fax: 693-1165
Diana H. Josephson, Principle Deputy (I&E)
Ph. (703) 693-4527,
Josephson.Diana@hq.navy.mil
Elsie Munsell, DASN ES
Ph. (703) 614-1303
Munsell.Elsie@hq.navy.mil
Robert (Robin) Pirie, ASN (I&E)
Ph. (703) 695-4533,
Pirie.Robert@hq.navy.mil
Dr. Kurt Riegel, Director of Environmental Technology
Ph. (703) 695-3363
Riegel.Kurt@hq.navy.mil
Lew Shotton, Director of Environmental Planning & Natural Resources
Ph. (703) 614-1295
Shotton.Lew@hq.navy.mil
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
tmcintyr@kingfish.ssp.nmfs.gov
Governor of Hawaii
Ben Cayetano
gov@aloha.net
phone 808 586 0034
fax 808 586 0006
State Senator
David Tarnas
reptarnas@capitol.hawaii.gov
phone 808 586 8510
fax 808 586 8510
Dept Land and Natural Resources State of Hawaii
Chairman Mike Wilson
mwilson@pixi.com
phone 808 587 0400
fax 808 587 0390
Collected e-mails from above to copy/paste to your message:
president@whitehouse.com, vicepresident@whitehouse.com,
senator@inouye.senate.gov, neil@abercrombie.house.gov,
Jsquared@nosc.mil, williamr@spawar.navy.mil,
Josephson.Diana@hq.navy.mil, Munsell.Elsie@hq.navy.mil,
Pirie.Robert@hq.navy.mil, Riegel.Kurt@hq.navy.mil,
Shotton.Lew@hq.navy.mil, tmcintyr@kingfish.ssp.nmfs.gov,
gov@aloha.net, reptarnas@capitol.hawaii.gov, mwilson@pixi.com
Note: A number of the contacts above do not have or will not give
out their e-mail. Most of those should have a fax number for you
to use.
You can also hyperlink your emails to those mentioned below directly from
the LFAS site at http://www.dreamweaving.com/lfas308.htm
You can also send mail to the LFAS List Server if you would like to be on an email distribution list. Put "add" in the subject header.