New Navy Sonar System Can Kill, Maim Sea Mammals, Advocates Say

A new U.S. Navy sonar system that uses loud low-frequency sound waves to detect submarines at great distances came under renewed fire Tuesday from environmentalists who said it could hurt or kill marine mammals.

The National Marine Fisheries Service said it was seeking comment on the system--which could be deployed this year--and on the steps the Navy has proposed to minimize its impact on whales, sea turtles and other marine life that could be hurt by the underwater sound blasts.

The new system shoots sound waves through the water and reads the returning echoes to find submarines.

It has been under development for years and several environmental groups have sued to halt the deployment.

Michael Jansy, a lawyer for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the sound waves carried so far through the water that they could harm whales and dolphins hundreds of miles from the ship broadcasting the sound waves.

Whales and other marine mammals depend on their hearing to communicate over large distances and navigate their seasonal migration routes, scientists believe. Studies have shown that whales exposed to sonar often flee the sound, NRDC said in its statement.

A Navy spokesman said the new system was needed to counter quieter enemy submarines and said steps had been taken to protect marine mammals.