In an effort to find oil deposits beneath the Atlantic Ocean off the US East Coast, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has approved plans to use sonic cannons to create detailed assessments of the ocean floor from Florida to Delaware. These sonic cannons emit extremely loud pulses of sound through the water every few seconds which are said to be 100 times louder than jet engines. The sound waves are used by computers to create detailed studies of what lies beneath the ocean floor, in order to find areas where there could potentially be stores of oil. This mapping does not confirm the presence of oil; it just shows areas compatible with the presence of oil deposits. Once located, these areas would then be targets for offshore drilling for oil.
Emitting loud sound pulses every several seconds into the ocean has unknown, and possibly detrimental effects, on sea creatures. It is already well known that numerous marine species, including whales and dolphins, use sound for communication and navigation. It is not known how these sonic cannons could affect these creatures.
Please tell President Obama and the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management "NO" to the use of sonic cannons to locate oil deposits beneath the ocean. It is irresponsible to risk inflicting any harm to marine life.
We are asking you to please reconsider the use of sonic cannons in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the US. These cannons emit extremely loud sounds and the impact of this on marine life is not known. Our concern is that, until proven otherwise, these sonic cannons may have serious and detrimental effects on marine animals that use sound for navigation and communication. We are opposed to the use of sonic cannons and we ask you to please not use them.
