As officials from the government and AUTEC met in a private meeting at the U.S. military base near this quiet settlement yesterday - April 27 - a small group of concerned Andros residents protested outside, demanding answers to a long list of questions that they say have long been ignored.

That meeting was called to address concerns that activity at the base, specifically sonar testing, may be harming sea life in the area. In less than two months, three whales have stranded in the area of the base, including two beaked whales – a group of rarely seen, deep-water species.Although it was a small group of residents that gathered outside the base, their convictions were strong. Residents say they simply want to know if any testing carried out by the U.S. military base has anything to do with the recent whale strandings and what is behind what they describe as depleted fish stocks. They also want to know why government officials did not meet with residents to learn their concerns first, before attending Thursday's much-anticipated meeting at AUTEC.

"I want to know why the government ministers went into the meeting without having a meeting with us first." said Stephen Smith, a local government representative who was among the protestors.

Kino Mackey, a resident of Cargill Creek who was part of yesterday's protest, wants to know what is behind what he says is a change in the surrounding marine environment. "I’m a diver. I go overboard and see the marine life daily," Mr. Mackey told The Bahama Journal. "There's been some great changes…I know there is something serious going on. There's a lot of questions that we would like to ask and concerns that need to be addressed."

Residents have drawn up a list of more than 40 questions on a range of issues, including the whale deaths, laws and protection for whales, and general questions regarding AUTEC.Those questions were formulated at a public meeting in Behring Point on Wednesday night. Some of them are: How many whales have stranded since 1965 – the year the base opened? What have scientists found out about the whales they have analysed? What laws protect whales and fish and coral in The Bahamas from sonar and other things that disturb the ocean? What is in the AUTEC agreement? Does AUTEC own the land it is on and the sea it tests in?

Said Elan Anderson, a former AUTEC employee of 28 years: "The reef is dying, everything is dying and there is something that is causing it. We are not sure if it is [AUTEC] but we want to know. I don't know why we shouldn't know what the reasons are.

"We really want to find out what is going on in this country by AUTEC and I think Bahamians will be satisfied once they know what is going on and why the whales are dying and why the reefs are dying. That's all we want to know."

All of the residents that The Journal spoke with yesterday said they would readily attend a government town meeting if it meant getting some answers to their questions. Now the residents are waiting on a report from Thursday's meeting, which has been described by Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Leslie Miller, as "exploratory." While a press briefing was scheduled to follow the meeting, The Bahama Journal was not accommodated on yesterday's press trip to Andros arranged by the U.S. Embassy, and was denied access to the base near Fresh Creek. Andros activist Margo Blackwell, whose invitation to the base was one of several to be withdrawn late Wednesday, said the issue of ocean noise and its impact on marine life reaches far beyond the island of Andros.

"This is a lot bigger than the people in Andros," she told The Journal outside of the base yesterday. "This whole issue affects our entire country and indeed it is a global issue. I think what you saw today and last night, and when you hear the concerns over the last two months they are indicative of a real cry for some sense to be brought to this situation."

U. S. whale experts who have become aware of the Andros whale strandings agree that intense sources of sound like those used on the AUTEC range are capable of affecting a wide class of ocean life.

"Whale mortalities, though an obvious focus of concern, are only the tip of the iceberg of sonar's harmful effects," according to a briefing paper prepared for yesterday's meeting by the National Resource Defense Council [NRDC] out the U.S.

"Marine mammals and other species depend on sound to navigate, find food, locate mates, avoid predators and communicate with each other. Flooding their habitat with man-made, high intensity noise interferes with these and other functions."

Glen Gaitor, senior fisheries officer on Andros, was disappointed that he was denied access to Thursday's meeting, even though he was directed to attend the meeting by senior officials in the Department of Marine Resources.

"I work with [Andros residents] everyday and they trust me, and it would mean a lot for them to know that the fisheries officer was in on the meeting and could report back to them," he said.

Senior local government officials attended the meeting yesterday and reportedly said that AUTEC officials denied that any activity at the base was connected to the whale deaths. Also attending Thursday's meeting was Minister of Environment Dr. Marcus Bethel, and Deputy Chief of Missions at the U.S. Embassy, Dr. Brent Hardt.

Mr. Gaitor said that while fishing stocks have gone down, to a degree, the reason behind it is unclear. "There's a lot of claims [about AUTEC and the environment] but I can't deny or confirm them," he said.

Source: Jonesbahamas