Whales, dolphins and all marine mammals which depend upon their hearing for their very lives (communication, migration, feeding) are in danger in 75% of the world's oceans. This is not an alarmist exaggeration, honest. The Navy has already tested and was set to deploy sonar which causes incredible damage. A federal investigation found that the navy's testing of mid-frequency active sonar has already caused the stranding of several species of whales in the Bahamas in March 2000. At the same time the region's entire population of beaked whales disappeared. In September 2002, there were mass strandings of whales in the Canary Islands and the Gulf of California due to military sonar and an acoustic geological survey, respectively. And yet the Navy was still going to use active sonar. Low Frequency Active sonar (LFA) produces 235 decibels, enough to destroy mammals' eardrums, cause their lungs to hemorrhage, and even kill them. 40 miles away, at 165 decibels, the sonar is enough to cause disorientation, memory loss and seizures in human divers. At 300 miles away, 140 decibels is still hundreds of times higher than the level at which grey whales begin leaving their migration paths to avoid the sound. The sonar is on the same frequency which humpback whales use for communicating with their amazing songs. The Humane Society, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the League for Coastal Protection, the Cetacean Society International, and the Ocean Futures Society have filed suit in federal court to block the navy from testing and deploying LFA sonar in 75% of the world's oceans. On October 31, Judge Elizabeth LaPorte granted a preliminary injunction against the immediate deployment (which was scheduled for Nov. 5) of LFA sonar. But the case is not yet over, so I hope you will check it out for yourselves and lend your support in whatever form you can. Visit the Natural Resources Defense Council site for more information. http://www.nrdc.org One thing they suggest is to: Tell the Navy not to deploy noise-producing LFA sonar, which poses an unacceptable risk to marine mammals around the world. Send an email message to the Navy at their site: http://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/marine/nlfa.asp Fax the Navy: 703-697-8921 or 703-695-5318 Or write to: Hon. Gordon R. England Secretary of the Navy 1000 Navy Pentagon Washington, DC 20350-1000 As always, reasonable emails, faxes and letters have more weight than ranting and raving. Be firm, but be polite :) Blessings Judith [Posted in FML issue 3965]