Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Navy Sonar Tests Again Questioned After Beachings

The Navy has been pushing the development of a new sonar testing facility off the Carolina coast for a few years, despite intense public objections, criticism from NOAA and outrage from the NC DENR. Now it appears that after the beaching of a beaked whale and three harbor porpoises on March 7th near Kill Devil Hills, Navy sonar testing is again a culprit. While they won't disclose the exact date, the Navy admitted yesterday that they had been conducting sonar tests off Virginia Beach a few days earlier. In 2005, 36 whales beached near Oregon Inlet shortly after sonar tests, and while there were some shady changes to the official report, the final report neither confirmed nor denied the sonar testing as the cause. Similar beaching have also occurred in the Bahamas and Hawaii after sonar tests. Ultimately all NC fishermen should be concerned about the Navy's proposed high-intensity sonar testing range off Morehead City, who knows what impact 190 decibels will have on some of the nation's most productive fishing waters. More on the recent beachings is available from the News & Observer and be sure to let your state representatives know how much the idea of an experimental sonar training range just off our coast concerns you.

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