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.JPG) Navy plans further exercises, despite possible links to whale deaths18 April 2008 A major military exercise is to begin off the west coast of Scotland, despite concerns over the unprecedented number of recent whale deaths in this area and possible links to previous exercises involving the use of naval sonar. Exercise Joint Warrior 081, a major UK/NATO multi-force exercise, is scheduled to begin in the sensitive marine habitats off the west coast of Scotland, home to a number of the UK’s whale and dolphin species. Since February, the area has also been the site of an unusually large number of whale deaths, with at least 11 Cuvier’s beaked whales, 10 pilot whales and 3 Sowerby’s beaked whales stranding on Scotland’s west coast, a further 17 of these deep diving offshore species have stranded in Ireland and at least 2 more in Wales. Mass strandings of Cuvier’s beaked whales have been associated with naval activities involving mid-frequency active sonar. The pattern is becoming all too familiar. Evidence of sonar-related whale deaths has been mounting worldwide, including multiple incidences in the Canary Islands. However, the recent strandings could represent the first known case in the UK. Sarah Dolman, spokesperson for WDCS said: “It seems likely that a number of these whales died at sea, in which case we have to ask how many more died and were not recovered, either because they were lost at sea or because they stranded on remote, inaccessible beaches and rocky shorelines of west Scotland and its many hundreds of islands?” WDCS and the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust submitted a Freedom of Information request to the Ministry of Defence in February to find out whether the first strandings of Cuvier’s beaked whales off the islands of Islay, Tiree and Harris coincided with the use of military sonar. Sarah Dolman continued ‘So far, we have received a less than satisfactory response from the MOD, which indicates that sonar-related whale deaths are not being taken seriously and does not ease our suspicions that these events were indeed associated with naval activities.” WDCS, along with the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group and the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, is now calling for the MOD to live-up to its environmental responsibilities by ensuring full co-operation and commitment to investigate this series of strandings, as well as: * Long term engagement that leads to practical, effective measures to prevent future deaths and protect marine life more generally. * Demonstration of effective on-board mitigation measures and commitment to monitor their effectiveness. * Funding for better independent marine-life surveys for regularly used exercise areas to better understand the distribution of whales and dolphins in these areas at different times of the year. The call comes at a time when a US court ruling has determined that the US Navy requires additional mitigation measures to protect marine life, including banning the use of sonar within 12 miles of the coast and in other sensitive habitat. Sarah Dolman added: “It is essential that the UK Government does all that it can to ascertain the cause of these strandings and that the MOD begins to take the threat to our whales and dolphins seriously when planning their naval exercises. Otherwise we risk impacting already vulnerable populations off our coasts.” WDCS is awaiting a response from DEFRA, the UK Government department that is responsible for management of strandings data, to see what action they plan to take. Recent funding cuts have meant that fewer animals are collected and necropsied to investigate the cause of death. We have not ruled out other factors that may have contributed to the deaths of these animals. We are working with scientists to gather as much information as possible and are currently investigating seismic survey activity in the area, as well as weather records. Our knowledge of deep water populations is minimal. We do not know how many Cuvier’s beaked whales, Sowerby’s beaked whales or pilot whales there are in the northeast Atlantic, or their status. Click here to return to list of news items |
