Navy Sonar and Marine Mammals

The Whale Museum is pleased to welcome Meegan Corcoran as part of the 2014 Summer Lecture Series. Meegan will discuss “U.S. Navy Sonar and Marine Mammals: Potential Measures to Mitigate Harmful Effects” on Tuesday, July 22 at 6:30 p.m.

National security and environmental health have been at odds in America for decades. A prominent example is the competing interests regarding Navy active sonar and the potential impacts to marine mammals. Navy sonar is essential for submarine detection, identification, and tracking. However, active sonar has been correlated to behavioral changes, deafness, hemorrhaging, stranding and death of marine mammals throughout the oceans.

The U.S. Navy is currently proposing to increase active sonar testing and training off the Pacific Northwest coast and within the Puget Sound. The Navy presently employs several marine mammal mitigation measures in order to limit negative impacts. However, these measures are highly scrutinized for lack of effectiveness. Additional mitigation measures exist that may be utilized by the Navy to further decrease harm.

During this talk, Meegan Corcoran will discuss in detail five additional measures which support national security while increasing protection to marine mammals. It is imperative the Navy assesses alternative mitigation measures that increase environmental protection while maintaining military readiness standards. Meegan Corcoran served as a sonar technician in the United States Navy for eight years during which time she worked primarily with Low-Frequency Active (LFA) sonar. Given her firsthand experience, she became inspired to develop operation standards that protect citizens and marine mammals simultaneously. She has now been working with this issue for over a decade. Meegan currently lives in Friday Harbor and hopes to invoke change not only within the U.S. military but foreign and NATO forces as well.

The July 22nd lecture event is free and open to the public. For more information, call (360) 378-4710 ext. 30. The Whale Museum is located in Friday Harbor at 62 First St. N. Founded in 1976, The Whale Museum’s mission is to promote stewardship of whales and the Salish Sea ecosystem through education and research. In addition to providing exhibits, the Museum also provides programs including the Marine Naturalist Training, Orca Adoption Program, Soundwatch Boater Education, San Juan Islands Marine Mammal Stranding Network, and the Whale Hotline. The Whale Museum can be found on-line at www.whalemuseum.org.

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