AR-News: (US WA) Study: No conclusive link between Navy sonar and dead porpoises

[Animalara2003 at aol.com]

SEATTLE — Studies of dead porpoises found off San Juan Island last spring 
following a controversial testing of U.S. Navy sonar in Haro Strait have found no 
conclusive evidence linking the deaths directly to the Navy's sonar use, a 
report issued this morning by the National Marine Fisheries Service says. 
But the study also could not rule out that the porpoises might have suffered 
serious, and perhaps fatal, hearing damage from the loud naval sonar. 
"There isn't any smoking gun," said Brian Gorman, a NMFS spokesman. 
Instead, the fisheries service said that two of the porpoises had died of 
"blunt force trauma," or blows that could have been suffered by any number of 
things, from being struck by ships to beaching themselves. Three others died of 
natural disease. The scientists said they could not find the cause of death for 
the other six animals because their remains were too decomposed. 
The fisheries service collected the carcasses of 11 porpoises found in Haro 
Strait in May, after the Naval destroyer USS Shoup passed through the strait 
using powerful sonar to map the channel bottom. Biologists and whale watchers 
also reported that resident orca whales were frightened and disoriented by the 
loud sonar. 




full story:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001853971_webporpoises09.html
 

"The world is a dangerous place,
not because of those who do evil,
but because of those who look on and do nothing.",
Albert Einstein
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