Friday August 7, 2009, 9:04 am
We only have a few days left to demand better protections for whales and dolphins that will soon be facing Navy sonar in the Pacific Northwest.

The Navy is about to launch five years of sonar training in some of the nation's richest marine habitat, including the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary -- home to 29 different species of marine mammals.

Click here and tell the National Marine Fisheries Service to put protections in place that could save these animals from harassment, injury or even death.

Your official comment must be submitted by next Monday, August 10.

The Fisheries Service has proposed a rule that would allow the Navy "to take" -- harass or injure -- marine mammals 130,000 times during each year of the sonar training.

That is a total of 650,000 acoustic assaults on whales, dolphins, porpoises, sea lions and seals.

The Navy's mid-frequency sonar systems are designed to detect enemy submarines. Its warships deploy underwater speakers that blast the ocean with noise in excess of 235 decibels -- a sonic barrage thousands of times more powerful than a jet engine at takeoff.

That barrage of noise can disrupt biologically critical activities like feeding, navigating and breeding. And the Navy itself has admitted that sonar can even kill whales.

At risk in the Pacific Northwest: blue whales, gray whales, beaked whales, harbor porpoises and the very last endangered Southern Resident killer whales -- only 83 of them left! -- plus dozens of other marine mammal species.

These whales should not have to suffer needless injury or harassment for the sake of military practice.

The Fisheries Service must bar or limit the Navy from operating dangerous sonar in the most sensitive habitats, like the Olympic Marine Sanctuary.

Common-sense precautions like this will not compromise military training or

Friday August 7, 2009, 9:12 am
Done!

Friday August 7, 2009, 10:41 am
Thank you for taking action to protect whales and dolphins in the Pacific Northwest from the Navy's dangerous use of sonar.

Crossposted also!

Friday August 7, 2009, 11:31 am
Thank you Jamie and Cristina. Appreciated.

Friday August 7, 2009, 2:08 pm
Thanks Simone.

Thank you for taking action to protect whales and dolphins in the Pacific Northwest from the Navy's dangerous use of sonar.

Friday August 7, 2009, 2:37 pm
noted & already signed

Friday August 7, 2009, 3:07 pm

Noted and signed

Friday August 7, 2009, 4:35 pm
Action taken with my greatest pleasure that it may help!!! Thanks!!!

Friday August 7, 2009, 7:42 pm
Noted & signed ~ Thanks Simone

Saturday August 8, 2009, 12:02 pm
Done, thanks Simone.