U.S. judge temporarily bans Navy's use of sonar to protect whales

To protect marine species, a U.S.federal judge temporarily blocked the Navy from using active sonar during an exercise off Hawaii, the Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday.

In a seven-page ruling, the judge said there is "considerable convincing scientific evidence" that the Navy's use of sonar can kill, injure and disturb many species, including marine mammals.. U.S. Navy had planned to use sonar during the Rim of the Pacific exercise, which began last week off Hawaii with 40 surface ships and six submarines scheduled to participate. The sonar portion of the monthlong exercise was to begin Wednesday.

The sonar use in this exercise is meant to test whether quiet, diesel-powered submarines can be detected. Before this exercise, U.S. Department of Defense invoked a six-month national security exemption from the Marine Mammal Protection Act to thwart a lawsuit by an environmentalist group.

The environmentalists filed the lawsuit last week after the National Marine Fisheries Service issued a permit for the Navy to use sonar during the current exercises. Los Angeles-based Judge Florence-Marie Cooper ruled that the exemption did not cover the National Environmental Policy Act cited in the lawsuit.

The judge's order blocks the Navy's use of sonar until a July 18 hearing, when Cooper is to consider making the ban permanent. Cooper gave the two sides until July 12 to meet and discuss a possible settlement.

The Navy said that sonar was the only effective means to quickly detect and target hostile submarines, and that sonar operators needed training at sea "to protect our nation's ships, shores and allies."

Navy scientists denied that sonar hurts whales. But the Fisheries Service concluded that sonar used during a similar exercise in 2004 had likely caused 150 melon-headed whales to gather in a shallow bay.

story: http://english.people.com.cn/200607/05/eng20060705_280265.html