SUBHEAD: USAF asks NOAA for permission to take lives on sea mammals while testing weapons in ocean.
By Juan Wilson on 6 February 2017 in Island Breath -
(http://islandbreath.blogspot.com/2017/02/air-force-plans-to-bomb-whales.html)
Image above: Squadron of F-16s at Elgin Air Force Base during exercise Combat Hammer. From (http://www.eglin.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/391730/combat-hammer-on-the-ground).
Note, Katherine Muzik PHD emailed us 2/9/17 the following "Weapons testing would happen for five straight days every summer, in an area approxmately 50 miles north of the island.The permit asks for permission to launch nearly 100 missiles each year.Within the request, the military said it was possible that the following species of marine mammals could be effected by the explosions:
Military estimates indicate that 382 animals could suffer temporary hearing loss, with roughly 36 permanently losing their hearing.
Humpback whales, Minke whales, Pygmy sperm whales and Dwarf sperm whales are at greatest risk of injury, the military says.
"They rely on their hearing to find food. They also rely on their hearing to avoid predators, said Henkin. "They rely on their hearing to find mates and rear their young. So any time a marine mammal permanently loses its hearing those individuals would be at greater risk of dying."
Source: http://www.k5thehometeam.com/story/34436638/air-force-looks-to-start-testing-weapons-in-kauai-waters
By Juan Wilson on 6 February 2017 in Island Breath -
(http://islandbreath.blogspot.com/2017/02/air-force-plans-to-bomb-whales.html)
Image above: Squadron of F-16s at Elgin Air Force Base during exercise Combat Hammer. From (http://www.eglin.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/391730/combat-hammer-on-the-ground).
Note, Katherine Muzik PHD emailed us 2/9/17 the following "Weapons testing would happen for five straight days every summer, in an area approxmately 50 miles north of the island.The permit asks for permission to launch nearly 100 missiles each year.Within the request, the military said it was possible that the following species of marine mammals could be effected by the explosions:
- Humpback whale
- Sei whale
- Minke whale
- Pygmy sperm whale
- Dwarf sperm whale
- Pygmy killer whale
- Short-finned pilot whale
- Melon headed whale
- Bottlenose dolphin
- Pantropical spotted dolphin
- Striped dolphin
- Spinner dolphin
- Rough-toothed dolphin
- Fraser's dolphin
- Risso's dolphin
- Longman's beaked whale
Military estimates indicate that 382 animals could suffer temporary hearing loss, with roughly 36 permanently losing their hearing.
Humpback whales, Minke whales, Pygmy sperm whales and Dwarf sperm whales are at greatest risk of injury, the military says.
"They rely on their hearing to find food. They also rely on their hearing to avoid predators, said Henkin. "They rely on their hearing to find mates and rear their young. So any time a marine mammal permanently loses its hearing those individuals would be at greater risk of dying."
Source: http://www.k5thehometeam.com/story/34436638/air-force-looks-to-start-testing-weapons-in-kauai-waters
The 86th Fighter Weapons Squadron, based in Elgin Air Force Base, Florida, submitted request with the National Marine Fisheries Service of the NOAA for authorization to harm the hearing of 637 whales and dolphins from September 2017 through August 2022 while testing ordinance in the ocean range operated by the pacific Missle Range Facility on Kauai. See pdf of Star Bulletin article here (www.islandbreath.org/2017Year/02/170206bombplan.pdf)
The Air Force is applying to NOAA, at the National Marine Fisheries office within the Office of Protected Resources for a permit authorizing the Air Force to do "incidental takes" of marine mammals.
A "take" is when you harass, maim, or kill. The Marine Mammal Protection Act requires that applicants engaging in dangerous actions apply for such authorization permit.
The comment period, which ended today, is to comment on the application in terms of omissions or inaccuracies.
There are two comment periods. This is the first one. After receiving all "relevant" comments (those regarding omissions and inaccuracies), the Fisheries Service will integrate them into a report that will be published, and which will then trigger the second comment period, which will invite comments that are broader than just those for omissions and/or inaccuracies.
The purpose of this report will be to give an overview of the proposed action and its effects on marine mammals, and to set rules that the air force would have to follow in order to minimize the number of allowed "takes."
By the way, this proposed action has nothing to do with sonar. It has nothing to do with the navy. This is about bombing and missiles conducted by the air force above, at and below the surface of the water.
One thing we do know, though, is that cetaceans need a peaceful environment, and that sound travels very very far and is very disruptive to their breeding, feeding, socializing etc. So these explosions would have dramatic detrimental impact.
The proposed action is to take place for five years, between 2017-2022.
Here is a link to the application:
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/incidental/military/usaf86fws_2017loa_app.pdf
Today is the deadline for comment on this plan.
Email:
ITP.McCue@noaa.gov
Traditional mail address is:
Jolie Harrison, Chief Perimts and Conservation Division
Office of Protected Resources National Marines Fisheries Service
1315 East-West Highway
Silver Spring MD 20910
USAF to start weapons tests near Kauai
By Associated Press on 6 February 2017 in the Garden Island News
(http://thegardenisland.com/news/state-and-regional/air-force-looks-to-start-testing-weapons-in-kauai-waters/article_8c89a869-0a0f-5f0b-9b45-4fda1e4da1c3.html)
The Air Force wants to resume its weapons testing program at the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, but some are concerned about the potential impacts on marine animals.
The Air Force in December filed a request seeking authorization for the testing from the National Marine Fisheries Service. A public comment period on the request ends Monday, The Garden Island reported (http://bit.ly/2le1erh ).
The five-year testing of mainly bombers and fighter aircraft would start in September. It would involve the detonation of a variety of missiles and other weapons about 50 miles offshore of Kauai.
The testing could cause sound or pressure-related problems for whales, dolphins and other marine mammals in the area.
Gordon LaBedz of Kauai's whale education group Kohola Leo said the fight to prevent the Army from getting a federal permit will likely end up in court.
"The only way to stop them from getting permits to kill whales and dolphins is to sue them," LaBedz said. "When we do, we usually win, but the conservation community only has so much money for attorneys."
Whitlow Au, who studies the behavior of marine life, said determining the effects of the sounds from weapons testing on marine animals is a complicated process.
"We don't even know the intensity of the sound that reaches an animal caused by a missile launch," said Au, chief scientist of the Marine Mammal Research Program at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology at the University of Hawaii.
If a whale in the area dives when a missile is being launched, that could be interpreted as a reaction to the launch, or it could just be natural behavior, he explained.
Au and his students have applied for their own five-year permit with the NMFS to study the effects of noise behavior on whales and dolphins.
While Au is not convinced weapons testing negatively impacts marine animals, he said it is important for the Army to conduct its training without harming sea life.
"These groups of people have to learn how to work together in a collaborative-type relationship," Au said.
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1 comment :
This is a travesty. The environment, as well as, all living mammals will be harmed, deafened, etc. Please have all readers go to change.org type in Stop US from bombing whales to sign petition needed
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