Noisy oceans

AUSTRALIA: Do fish have ears? Not visible ones, certainly, but they can hear. Unfortunately, the noise from ships is increasingly harmful to fish, whales and other sea life.

Marine biologists have long warned that underwater noise damages the ability of whales and other sea life to navigate, find food, communicate, and to judge water depth. In response, some oil and gas companies have reduced their use of seismic surveys. Such surveys send out underwater sound signals that bounce back from the ocean floor, and allow geologists to determine whether oil or natural gas is present. The military has also reduced its use of sonar.

But the engine noise from tens of thousands of ships at sea is nonetheless causing the noise level of the oceans to increase. The UN International Maritime Organization is calling for further measures to reduce noise, such as making ships quieter and changing the way they operate.

Noise is invisible, but it can be deadly to sea life, says Jorge Luis Basave at the Australian office of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). “Humanity is literally drowning out marine mammals,” Basave told the Sydney Morning Herald.

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