Draft 1

Ibrahim Ghawjah
Professor Gary Pegoada
ENGL 1302
May 12, 2016

Deepwater Exploratory Sonar Kills Dolphins and Whales

1. Introduction
In recent years, the effects of sonar on whales and dolphins have got attentions all over the
world. Scientists are looking much concern about the impact of deep water exploratory sonar. It
has become an important fraught issue since few due to the massive use of submarine and deep
water exploratory sonar. Sonar is an apparatus which is used to send sound waves into the deep
water and then measures the time of reflection and returning to find things or objects under the
ocean or to check or detect the depth of water. It is also used detect the submarines of enemies.
According to a report from the UK military in 2007, due to use of military sonar causes problems
for whales and dolphins to dive or feed.
The use of military sonar (short sound navigation and ranging) causes an injury or even death or
many whales, dolphins and other marine life. These sonars are affecting the environment
underwater. Due to sounds, whales have to swim hundreds of miles and vary the depth very fast
which cause bleeding in their eyes and ears. Sometime whales also come on the beach to get rid
of sonar`s sounds. Also, these sounds prevent a whale to feed as they feed at depth of ocean. A
report in January 2004 tells that about 34 whales of different types were found died near the
Navy sonar in North California.

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NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) filed a case against the Navy to reduce the use of
sonar which is low-frequency. In this case, there were also other world organizations like the
IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare), LCP (League for Coastal Protection) and CSI
(Cetacean Society International). They asked the courts to restrict the extensive use of sonar
which are harmful for creatures under the oceans and also to prevent the mid-frequency types of
sonar. They showed some documents of Navy that show the killing of some 170,000 creatures
underwater and include whales and dolphins due to the use of deep water sonar. These
documents also showed that injury to more than 500 whales and deafness to more than 8,000
other whales. In the lawsuit, lawyers told the court that it is the violation of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the protection of underwater creatures.
2. Conclusion
Whales and dolphins are affected by the energy of sonar and it also affects the marine
environment. That is why there is need to reduce the effects of these sounds and to save dolphins
and whales. There is also need of environmental impact assessments to detect marine life and to
mitigate threats to whales and dolphins.