To: Secretary of the US Navy Ray Mabus, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, President Donald Trump, The Georgia State House, The Georgia State Senate, Governor Brian Kemp, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate
SAVE THE RIGHT WHALE FROM EXTINCTION
Stop the US Navy from using deadly sonar in the only known calving grounds of the North American Right Whale.
Why is this important?
The people of the Georgia Coast call on you to protect the North American Right Whale. Right Whale mothers swim the length of the Atlantic Seaboard to bear their young here in their only known calving grounds. They are the most vulnerable members of a species that the State Legislature named “Georgia’s State Marine Mammal.”
But the Right Whale is in serious danger of extinction at the hands of the U.S. Navy. The Navy is building a submarine warfare training range adjacent to the nursery of the most critically endangered of the large whales. Underwater explosives and sonar from surface ships and helicopters used in routine training exercises are extremely harmful to whales and dolphins.
In 2005, 36 whales from a population of many thousands beached themselves on the Outer Banks after just a few days of sonar from the USS Teddy Roosevelt. The Navy says it will use sonar and underwater explosives 470 times a year over the 20-year lifespan of the warfare range. If 36 whales wash up dead on our beaches, that is 10% of the population. NOAA has said that the death of only one whale threatens the existence of this species.
The massive whale and dolphin “takes” predicted by our Navy in the Atlantic, the Pacific, and the Gulf of Mexico---5 million instances of temporary hearing loss, 15,000 instances of permanent hearing loss, almost 9,000 lung injuries, and more than 1,800 deaths from sonar and underwater explosives over the next five years are cruel; and they are unnecessary. The Navy could prevent death by vessel strike by installing smart buoy systems and cellphone apps to detect whales instead of binoculars. In fact, it is only by using modern satellite technology, underwater drones, and simulation techniques to train personnel that we can maintain our place as the best Navy in the world. 20-year old sonar technology is useless against modern enemy subs coated with sonar-repelling paint. By converting to modern technology, we can reduce the toll on marine life without compromising national security.
You are our leaders. You have the power to stop this inhumane slaughter. We urge you to use your influence to stop the Navy from removing from the earth a magnificent creature that has been here 50 million years.
But the Right Whale is in serious danger of extinction at the hands of the U.S. Navy. The Navy is building a submarine warfare training range adjacent to the nursery of the most critically endangered of the large whales. Underwater explosives and sonar from surface ships and helicopters used in routine training exercises are extremely harmful to whales and dolphins.
In 2005, 36 whales from a population of many thousands beached themselves on the Outer Banks after just a few days of sonar from the USS Teddy Roosevelt. The Navy says it will use sonar and underwater explosives 470 times a year over the 20-year lifespan of the warfare range. If 36 whales wash up dead on our beaches, that is 10% of the population. NOAA has said that the death of only one whale threatens the existence of this species.
The massive whale and dolphin “takes” predicted by our Navy in the Atlantic, the Pacific, and the Gulf of Mexico---5 million instances of temporary hearing loss, 15,000 instances of permanent hearing loss, almost 9,000 lung injuries, and more than 1,800 deaths from sonar and underwater explosives over the next five years are cruel; and they are unnecessary. The Navy could prevent death by vessel strike by installing smart buoy systems and cellphone apps to detect whales instead of binoculars. In fact, it is only by using modern satellite technology, underwater drones, and simulation techniques to train personnel that we can maintain our place as the best Navy in the world. 20-year old sonar technology is useless against modern enemy subs coated with sonar-repelling paint. By converting to modern technology, we can reduce the toll on marine life without compromising national security.
You are our leaders. You have the power to stop this inhumane slaughter. We urge you to use your influence to stop the Navy from removing from the earth a magnificent creature that has been here 50 million years.