Marine Animals

Underwater Noise Pollution and Marine Mammal Welfare

Anthropogenic noise from shipping, sonar, and industrial activity disrupts marine mammal communication, navigation, and welfare.

Key Facts

Shipping noise has increased 32-fold in the North Atlantic over the past 50 years
Military sonar has been directly linked to mass cetacean strandings from acoustic trauma
Blue whales have shifted their calling frequencies in response to increased shipping noise
The acoustic range over which whales can communicate has shrunk by 90% in some regions

Welfare Considerations

Communication is essential to the social structure, mating, and mother-calf bonding of cetaceans. Masking of calls by shipping noise isolates whales within populations and reduces reproductive success. Acoustic trauma from military sonar causes physical injury, disorientation, and panic that drives animals to strand and die.

What You Can Do

Support international regulations limiting shipping speeds in cetacean habitats
Advocate for restrictions on military sonar exercises in biologically sensitive areas
Support acoustic monitoring programs that track noise impacts on whale populations
Choose shipping companies with commitments to slow steaming and noise reduction