Whales vs. Navy II

The ruling in favor of the Navy a month ago is still being fought. As with many issues, this is a complicated one, but only if we need submarines and ships to attack and defend ourselves instead of explore and fish. This is not going to change any time soon, but at least the problem is still being studied. I know quite a few people who are fighting this at the front lines, doing all they can to help the whales. They are fighting an honorable cause with implications much greater than most people see. Here are a few key excerpts from an article on the latest developments. Picture by Ben Horton

"The Navy has settled a lawsuit filed by environmentalists challenging its use of sonar in hundreds of submarine-hunting exercises around the world.
The Navy said Saturday the deal reached with the Natural Resources Defense Council and other groups requires it to continue to research how sonar affects whales and other marine mammals.
The Navy uses mid-frequency active sonar to send sound pulses through the water. Sailors listen for what objects the sound bounces off of to identify if enemy submarines are lurking nearby.
This technology is different from passive sonar, which sailors use to listen for the sounds enemy submarines emit themselves.
But scientists aren't sure why sonar affects some species more than others. They also don't fully know how it hurts whales.
Other plaintiffs were: International Fund for Animal Welfare, Cetacean Society International, League for Coastal Protection, Ocean Futures Society and Jean-Michel Cousteau. "
By AUDREY McAVOY