Whales and dolphins face increasing threats from anthropogenic ocean noise. Understanding the welfare impacts of noise pollution helps inform conservation and regulatory responses.
Ocean noise pollution causes welfare harm to whales and dolphins through acoustic masking, physiological stress, and in acute cases, physical injury and stranding. Beaked whales are particularly vulnerable to military sonar, and blue whales show measurable stress responses to shipping noise. Regulatory frameworks controlling underwater noise are improving but remain inadequate relative to the scale of the problem. Speed reductions and route changes for commercial shipping offer practical mitigation.