Sonar equipment banned off Hawaii coast

A California district judge has ordered the U.S. Department of National Defense to stop using all sonar equipment along the marine-dense Hawaii coast.

Sonar equipment can damage and kill many ocean species, according to marine scientists and environmental groups.

The ban follows a request for a restraining order by environmentalists in the area. The order would have prevented the warfare games scheduled along the Pacific.

The U.S. Navy planned to exercise the use of high-power sonar equipment while undergoing a training program dubbed Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC).

Forty ships and six submarines had been scheduled to participate in the international exercise. Canada, Chile, South Korea, Australia, and the UK are also involved.

Sonar equipment emits sound waves that bounce off the sea floor, measuring the time it takes for the sound to reach the floor and back. The contours of the sea can then be plotted on a map to help detect submarines and ships within a certain radius.

During the 2004 RIMPAC exercise, about 200 melon-headed whales were found stranded on the edge of Hanalei Bay off the island of Kauai.

Only one was pronounced dead: a calf, with no indication that sonar equipment was the cause of death.

The Department of National Defense has until July 18 to argue the ruling.

Photography: PBS

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 4 edition