Anthropogenic underwater noise from shipping, military sonar, and seismic surveys disrupts the communication, navigation, and feeding of marine mammals at significant scale.
For animals that depend entirely on sound for survival, chronic noise pollution is a profound welfare challenge. Cetaceans in heavily trafficked ocean regions experience a degraded acoustic environment that impairs their ability to find food, maintain social bonds, and navigate safely. Acute noise from military sonar and seismic surveys causes immediate physiological harm and disorientation. Regulatory measures including shipping speed limits, acoustic monitoring zones, and sonar restrictions can meaningfully reduce the welfare burden of ocean noise pollution.