Whale researchers were called in to the Haro Strait area yesterday afternoon after a commercial whale watching operator heard loud, intense pingson a hydrophone and observed unusual behavior by the whales in the area. At first the sounds were kind of quiet,said Tom McMillen of Salish Sea Charters. Then they got really loud. I had to shut it off because I couldnt stand it. It was coming through the hydrophone, making a screech every 25 seconds and shaking the amplifier.McMillen contacted Ken Balcomb from the Center for Whale Research. The sounds we were hearing from the hydrophones were incredible,said Balcomb. A minke whale, porpoises and 22 members of the J pod of the southern resident killer whales were all in the area and according to Balcomb, they were displaying unprecedented behaviours. They were acting very disoriented really unusual surface and dive behaviours. It was a very intense situation.At the same time, a US Navy ship was seen and photographed passing in the distance. We got a hold of the Coast Guard and asked them to contact the ship to get them to turn it (the SONAR) off.After about 18 minutes, the pings stopped. While none of the animals stranded, Balcomb said strandings over the next couple of days as a result of this incident are still possible. When contacted by AquaNews yesterday afternoon, public affairs officials of the US Navy in Seattle could not confirm the presence of a ship in Haro Strait or any details about SONAR use in the area.
According to Dr. Lance Barrett-Lennard, Senior Marine Mammal Scientist at the
Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre, SONAR can disrupt marine mammals on
several levels. It can cause the animals confusion and panic, which can result
in strandings and boat collisions. In more serious cases, bubbles can form in
the tissue, and damage to lungs and ears can result in death. SONAR is generally
broken into two methods of use active and passive. Passive is simply listening
for sounds emitted by ships or submarines. The intense pingsthat were reportedly
heard yesterday, are typical of active SONAR where a signal is transmitted and
then a reflection of that sound is received. Active SONAR can be divided into
3 categories low, medium and high frequency. The lower the frequency, the further
the pingswill travel. Low Frequency Active (LFA) SONAR is a new system, which
allows the Navy to detect quieter, harder to find submarines. The Marine Mammal
Protection Act allows the incidental disturbance or harassment called a take
of small numbers of marine mammals. The US National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) granted the Navy an authorization to harass small numbers of marine mammals
as a result of using LFA SONAR, valid until August 2007. There have been several
incidents with cetaceans in the last couple of years which may be linked to
LFA SONAR. This is a huge concern for strandings,said Dr. Barrett-Lennard. The
Center for Whale Research will be contacting the NMFS to let them know this
is creating a nuisance for these animals,said Balcomb. Its already a serious
problem.
Source: Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre
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Orcas circle in Haro Strait near Victoria with a whale-watching boat and U.S. navy destroyer further offshore.
The U.S. navy is reviewing an incident in which a pod of endangered killers whales began behaving strangely when a nearby destroyer blasted powerful sound waves into waters off Victoria.
"It is sort of a worst-nightmare scenario," said Dan Kukat, president of the Whale Watch Operators Association. He met Tuesday with Fisheries and Oceans Canada officials to file a complaint over the use of sonar. The sonar blasts, which could be heard above water, are also being blamed for unusual behaviour in porpoises and a minke whale.
The incident took place Monday in Haro Strait which separates San Juan Island from southern Vancouver Island.
Worries about the impact of sonar on whales, who rely on underwater sound for
navigation, finding food and communication, is a growing issue in the wake of
strandings in various parts of the world. Worry about sonar tops the agenda
for Lance Barrett-Lennard, senior marine
mammal scientist at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre. "In terms
of an immediate new and very dangerous issue, it is front and foremost."
The question, said Anna Hall, who leads whale-watching tours for Victoria's Prince of Whales, is whether humans want to have an environment that's good for whales. "Everyone has to co-operate and participate or there's really not much point."
The Whale Watch Operators Association has a lengthy set of rules governing behaviour of member whale-watching companies in the U.S. and Canada to minimize impact on whales.
"We are very concerned about it and are looking into it from every aspect," including environmental, said Karen Sellers, a public affairs officer with the U.S. navy in Seattle. She could not immediately say what type of sonar the USS Shoup was using or why it was used.
John Ford, marine mammal scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said it
is difficult to assess the impact of the sonar used by the USS Shoup, but there
is definitely cause for concern. Different types of sonar can affect whales
differently. Studies indicate
that low-frequency active sonar can cause strandings. The USS Shoup, an Arleigh
Burke- class destroyer, turned off its sonar when
contacted by the Canadian Coast Guard. The warship was on its way to the Canadian
Forces Maritime Experimental Test Range at Nanoose Bay.
Ken Balcomb, head of the Center for Whale Research at Friday Harbor in Washington state, was watching the J pod, part of the endangered southern resident population of 84 animals, on Monday afternoon. He heard the sonar on hydrophones, which pick up underwater sounds. "They got into a tight group and hugged closely along the shore."
The pod of about 20 then split up and the whales changed direction a number
of times and appeared to be stressed, he said. "They were very undecided-looking
and somewhat agitated in their behaviour. The Minke whale we saw at the same
time was just streaking away from here." Porpoises raced through the water
away from the sound, he said. So far, no whales or porpoises have been reported
stranded, but that remains
a possibility, Balcomb said Tuesday. He described the sonar sound as "intense."
It could possibly "deafen or damage some of the individuals, especially
the young ones," he said. J pod has two new calves, a cause for celebration
among whale advocates. Balcomb is attending a workshop today with the U.S. National
Marine Fisheries Service in Seattle to discuss the impact of vessel noise and
interference on whales. The USS Shoup incident will be on the table. "This
is the clearest example of any that I have ever seen." Anna Hall said the
sonar was so loud she could hear it without hydrophones. Hall took tours out
twice Monday. After hydrophones were put in the water
off the west side of San Juan Island late morning, she heard a high-pitched,
pulsing "boing" sound coming about 60 seconds apart. The second trip
mid-day in the same area found killer whales bunched close to shore, changing
direction as Balcomb described. That time, the sounds were louder and repeated
more frequently. They increased as the U.S. warship came closer and stopped
when it passed by, she said. "It was extremely bothersome. I can not imagine
what it was like in the water."
There are no rules governing the use of sonar in that area, Canadian navy spokesman Gerry Pash said. The practice at the Nanoose range is to turn off sonar when marine mammals are present.
Sonar is used to detect underwater objects by sending out pulses of sound.
© Copyright 2003 Times Colonist (Victoria)