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Whale and Dolphin Conservation partners with local artist for art auction

PLYMOUTH, MA - Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) has partnered with local artist Erik Simmons...
dolphin FB Fundraiser

e.l.f. Cosmetics announces new “porpoise-ful” initiative to benefit Whale and Dolphin Conservation

For Immediate Release, March 16, 2023 OAKLAND, CA - On the fins of its first...

Kiska the ‘world’s loneliest whale’ dies at Canadian theme park

Kiska, dubbed the loneliest whale in the world, has died at Marineland, a zoo and...
Grey seal is released from the kennel on the ocean side of Duxbury Beach

Why did the seal cross the road? WDC responds to a grey seal near Gurnet Point in Plymouth, MA

Grey seal is released from the kennel on the ocean side of Duxbury Beach For...

US government approves use of underwater sonic cannons

The US government has announced its approval for the use of loud sonic cannons to find oil and gas deposits below the ocean floor along eastern coastal areas of America.

The approval opens a stretch of water from Delaware to Florida to exploration by energy companies preparing to apply for drilling leases in 2018. It also exposes whale, dolphins and other marine wildlife, such as turtles, to extreme levels of noise pollution under the water. The sonic cannons can fire pulses of sound 100 times louder than a jet engine through the water and down to the ocean floor. The decibel level is higher than that which would cause serious hearing damage in humans, and noise from sonic cannons has been recorded by underwater microphones over 2,000 miles from the source of the original blast.  

Noise pollution threatens whale and dolphin populations, interrupting their normal behaviour, driving them away from areas important to their survival, and at worst injuring or sometimes even causing their deaths. For whales and dolphins, ‘listening’ is as important as ‘seeing’ is for humans, yet there are still no international regulations regarding noise pollution in the world’s seas.