The Tuesday, March 7, New York Times includes an editorial (the official opinion of the editorial page) against the Navy's plan to introduce sonar testing in waters off the southeastern United States. The editorial is headed, "Whales in the Way of Sonar."
It opens:
"The debate over whether the Navy's use of sonar to detect submarines is harming whales and other sound-sensitive species is back again. This time the battleground is the waters off the southeastern United States, where the Navy hopes to establish a training area for sailors who need to practice their sonar skills in a shallow ocean environment. The plan has aroused justifiable concern not only from environmental groups, but also from the federal and state agencies responsible for protecting marine life. If these concerns cannot be allayed, the project should be denied a permit to proceed as now planned."
It discusses the "significant concerns" of The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and ends with:
"No one can deny that the Navy needs to conduct sonar training in shallow waters, where sound propagates differently than in the deep ocean. But at a time when evidence is mounting that sonar has been responsible for at least some of the whale strandings around the world — and when we do not yet know what caused a large stranding last year in North Carolina — it behooves the Navy to move with extreme caution. The three sites favored by the Navy were chosen for practical reasons: they were close to home ports, air stations and federal shore facilities; had appropriate water depths; and had a satisfactory climate. Whales were at best an afterthought, but they deserve to be a priority."
You can read the full piece on line at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/07/opinion/07tue2.html
Please send supportive letters to the editor. The New York Times takes letters at letters@nytimes.com
Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Shorter letters are more likely to be published.
Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn
(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.dawnwatch.com/cgi-bin/dada/dawnwatch_unsubscribe.cgi If you forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts, please do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this tag line.)
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Date: Tue Mar 7 13:21:03 2006
