Wildlife

Wild Cetacean Noise Pollution Welfare

The welfare impacts of anthropogenic noise including shipping and military sonar on whales, dolphins, and porpoises.

Key Facts

Shipping noise has increased ambient ocean noise levels by 10-100 fold since 1950
Cetaceans use sound for communication, navigation, and feeding, making noise a critical welfare issue
Military sonar has been linked to mass strandings of beaked whales through behavioral panic responses
Chronic noise exposure causes physiological stress responses in cetaceans
Ship strike risk increases when whales change behavior to cope with noise

Welfare Considerations

Noise pollution causes both acute welfare emergencies through panic and mass stranding, and chronic welfare harm through stress and communication disruption. The behavioral changes forced on cetaceans by noise are themselves welfare costs even when they avoid lethal outcomes.

What You Can Do

Support international agreements to reduce shipping noise near cetacean habitats
Advocate for military sonar restrictions in cetacean-sensitive areas
Support organizations monitoring cetacean welfare and acoustic pollution