Ocean Sentry
(From theadvertiser.com) Washington- The Gulf of Mexico is known for many things — hurricanes and shrimp, to name just two.But not a lot of people know the 579,000-square-mile expanse is home to sperm whales, one of the largest animals on Earth.
With Americans clamoring for relief from high gasoline prices, politicians and industry leaders have turned back to the sea, hoping to end a decades-old moratorium on offshore drilling in an effort to expand domestic production of oil and natural gas. For Gulf of Mexico sperm whales that means more noise and intrusion on their home turf.
Environmentalists and industry representatives have long been at odds over whether seismic surveys harm marine mammals, especially sperm whales, an endangered species that produce their own underwater sounds to communicate, navigate and locate prey. Environmentalists have long blamed seismic surveys and high-frequency sonar pulses emitted by submarines as likely culprits that cause whales and dolphins to become disoriented and beach themselves.
The scientists detected no change in the swimming or diving behavior of seven of the whales even as the air guns traveled to within about a mile of some of the creatures. One whale remained on the surface during its exposure to the sounds. However, data transmitted from the digital recording devices indicated some of the whales slowed their underwater foraging as the seismic vessel approached within one to seven miles.
Still, there is plenty of evidence from research into whales around the world that suggests loud sounds from oil industry seismic survey vessels disrupt the normal behavior of marine mammals, Charter said.
(By Larry Wheeler)
