U.S. Gets Message Loud and Clear, Delays Ocean Tests : Research: Critics say underwater sounds to gauge global warming could harm sea life. More hearings set.

Bowing to pressure from members of Congress and the public, the National Marine Fisheries Service announced Friday that it will delay approval of ocean sound tests that some whale experts fear could harm marine mammals off the coast of Big Sur and Kauai, Hawaii.

The federal agency, which has been besieged by faxes and phone calls since plans for the experiment became public Tuesday, also agreed to hold hearings in Monterey and Hawaii, near where loudspeakers would be placed on the ocean floor. A period for public comment on the project had been scheduled to end Friday.

“Because of the tremendous amount of concern expressed by the public, environmental groups, scientific researchers and of course members of Congress, we have decided to extend the hearings,” said Scott Smullen, a spokesman for the agency.

Scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego have proposed a novel experiment to take the temperature of the Pacific Ocean by transmitting underwater sounds so loud they could be detected near New Zealand.

The researchers need the approval of the Fisheries Service because the 195-decibel noise--a low rumble to be broadcast six times daily for as long as 10 years--could affect up to 677,000 marine mammals in the ocean off Big Sur. Slightly more than 1,000 mammals in the waters off Kauai could be affected.

The agency’s decision to extend Friday’s deadline and hold hearings in California and Hawaii within three weeks slows the momentum of Scripps scientists, who had hoped to win approval of the project quickly and begin transmissions next month.

Nevertheless, project leaders said they welcomed the opportunity to make their case to the public. They contend that the experiment can proceed without harming marine mammals and that it would provide valuable information about global warming.

“We support the public hearings,” said David Hyde, the oceanographer who is heading the experiment. “We believe a full airing of these issues will make it clear what this project is all about and its environmental impact.”

The agency’s decision comes in response to a spontaneous grass-roots campaign by citizens and environmental groups who are worried that the high-volume tests could drive animals from their habitat and deafen some whales. Since Tuesday, the usually obscure Fisheries Service has received hundreds of faxed letters opposing the federally funded experiment.

“(The response) is unprecedented, especially for a scientific research permit,” Smullen said. “My phone has been ringing off the hook.”

The public outcry also prompted elected officials to urge that the agency seek alternative sites for the experiment or delay a decision until the proposal could be studied further.

Among them were California’s two Democratic senators, Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, and several congressional leaders who could influence funding either for the experiment or the Fisheries Service: Natural Resources Committee Chairman George Miller (D-Martinez), Armed Services Committee Chairman Ron Dellums (D-Oakland) and Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee Chairman Gerry Studds (D-Mass.)

At the same time, most officials withheld judgment on the validity of the experiment, noting that the attempt to measure global warming could be a worthwhile project.

“The extension is a huge victory,” said Rep. Sam Farr (D-Monterey), who represents the district closest to the California test site and had joined in seeking the delay. “Given the size of the project and its sensitive location among some of our most precious marine life, we needed to take more time to study the potential impact.”

Save the Whales, a Los Angeles-based organization that opposes the experiment, also joined in applauding the agency’s action. “This shows what public pressure can accomplish,” said Maris Sidenstecker, a marine biologist with the group. “Now we need the public’s support at the hearings to stop (the experiment), which would mean the destruction of so many marine mammals.”

Opposition to the project was first mounted by Nova Scotia whale researcher Lindy Weilgart, who said the experiment could cause deafness in whales or disrupt their feeding and reproduction. She also questioned why one of the loudspeakers was being placed in the newly created Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, about 25 miles west of Point Sur.

Scripps scientists, who had been slow to make their case to the public, sought to deflect criticism Friday, emphasizing again that the experiment will be halted if there is an indication it harms marine mammals.

Hyde said researchers need the permit because some whales might be disturbed by the noise if they come within 20 miles of a speaker. But the noise can damage a whale’s hearing only if it swims within a few yards of the noise source.

“We’re not out to harm a single animal and we will stop the project if there is any evidence of that,” Hyde said. “There are many safeguards built into the program.”