Judge Orders Limits on Navy Sonar to Protect Whales

To protect marine wildlife, a federal judge ordered limits placed on the Navy's use of sonar off the Southern California coast.

Environmentalists, led by the National Resources Defense Council, claimed the mid-frequency active sonar used by the Navy during its exercises harms marine life, resulting in more beached whales. The Navy said the tests are crucial to train its sailors to detect quiet submarines. The U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper issued a preliminary injunction ordering the Navy to stop using the sonar when marine mammals are within 2,200 yards and to monitor its test area for one hour before tests to make sure no marine wildlife is in the area. Cooper allowed the Navy to conduct exercises within 12 miles of the coast -- environmentalists had asked for a 25-mile exclusion zone -- because keeping exercises that far away "would unduly hamper the Navy's training efforts."
Read More