Sperm whales and other cetaceans are impacted by ocean noise pollution from shipping, seismic surveys, and military sonar, causing welfare harms ranging from behaviour disruption to fatal stranding.
Ocean noise pollution causes welfare harms across a spectrum from acute to chronic. Military sonar induces acute panic responses in beaked whales causing rapid ascent from depth, producing gas emboli and haemorrhagic injuries causing death. Mass strandings following naval exercises have killed dozens of whales in single events. Sperm whales exposed to seismic survey airguns show avoidance behaviour, disrupted social groups, and reduced foraging. Chronic shipping noise increases background stress hormones in cetacean populations and may impair communication and echolocation. These welfare impacts occur on a global scale across all ocean basins. Reducing anthropogenic ocean noise is both a conservation and an animal welfare priority.