Anthropogenic noise in the ocean from shipping, seismic surveys and construction is chronically disrupting the behaviour, communication and stress levels of marine animals that depend on sound for survival.
Ocean noise pollution is a chronic welfare stressor for marine animals that evolved in a quieter acoustic environment. Whale and dolphin species that depend on sound for communication, foraging and navigation face interference from shipping noise on time scales impossible for evolutionary adaptation to address. The welfare consequences include disrupted communication between mothers and calves, impaired foraging that reduces food intake and elevated chronic stress hormones in animals in high-traffic shipping lanes. The precautionary welfare principle applies clearly here — we are filling the ocean with noise that we know causes harm to species that cannot avoid it. Speed reduction by ships in critical habitat areas, shipping lane management and quieter ship design standards represent achievable near-term welfare improvements.