New report on underwater noise released

Underwater noise from naval exercises, oil rigs and pleasure cruises in UK waters should be mapped and monitored to protect sensitive marine life, a high-level committee of experts reports today. Research into the effect of sound in the oceans on marine mammals should now be commissioned by the UK Government.

The Marine Connection was part of the working group committee with regards to this new report. Liz Sandeman from the charity and who contributed to the new report states "Marine life around the UK coastline may be in serious danger from underwater noise pollution. For example, it has been proven that military exercises can have a huge impact on dolphins and whales. Beaked whales that stranded off the Bahamas in 2000 due to military sonar being used in surrounding areas have all disappeared - either died or driven from their habitats".

The results of the report, prepared by the government inter-agency committee on marine science and technology, will feed into the forthcoming marine bill, a white paper on which is due later this year. It calls for the expansion of existing treaties, permits for noisy activities and wider cooperation between the relevant groups. Sound carries so well underwater that animals can be affected at great distances. EU Habitats Directive states that all cetaceans should be given protection from disturbance occurring in UK waters but this simply not happening.

"There are many sources of sound in the sea, including seismic surveys for hydrocarbons prospecting, shipping, offshore wind farms, military sonars and scientific research," said Professor Peter Liss from the University of East
Anglia who chaired the report committee.

The Inter-Agency Committee (IACMST) brings together experts from government departments and academia and reports to the government's Office of Science and Technology. Legal cases have been brought against the US Navy, while in the UK, conservation groups including the Marine Connection are pressing for a Parliamentary inquiry.

Read the full report