Anthropogenic ocean noise from shipping, sonar, and industrial activity is disrupting marine mammal communication, navigation, and health with significant welfare consequences.
Marine mammals evolved in an ocean with rich soundscapes they relied on for navigation, finding food, mating, and social cohesion. The acoustic environment has been radically altered in just decades — a timeframe far too short for biological adaptation. The welfare consequences are severe: whales disoriented by sonar become stranded; dolphins unable to locate prey in noisy estuaries face chronic food stress; mother-calf pairs become separated when vocalizations are masked by shipping noise. Unlike most pollution forms, noise can be significantly reduced through technological solutions — quieter ship propellers, speed reductions in critical areas, and regulated exercise zones for military sonar.