North Atlantic right whales gave birth over the winter in greater numbers than have seen since 2015, an encouraging sign for researchers who became alarmed three years ago when the critically endangered species produced no known offspring at all. It’s qualified good news though since right whales are still dying — largely from manmade causes — at […]
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is circulating for a peer review the draft report on Anthropogenic Underwater Noise: Impacts on Marine and Coastal Biodiversity and Habitats, and Mitigation and Management Measures. https://www.cbd.int/doc/notifications/2020/cbd-ts-underwater-noise-peer-review-en.pdf
Seals are being temporarily deafened by underwater noise in the UK’s busy shipping lanes Researchers compared the experience of the seals to that of people living amid the din of inner cities. Dr Esther Jones, an ecologist from the University of St Andrews, said: “Like humans living in busy, noisy cities, some seals live in […]
A call for underwater noise assessment guidance Elena San Martin, ABPmer: ‘Human activity in or near to the aquatic environment can generate underwater sound potentially affecting fauna in a number of ways. These range from masking biologically relevant signals, evoking behavioural responses and causing hearing damage resulting in physical injury or even death at very […]
Fishing Focus The last Fishing Focus came out in May before the EU referendum. Reading this you might be forgiven for wondering whether it took place at all. It is well worth going through this Fishing Focus in detail because it highlights a range of items from the UK’s position on deep sea fishing to […]
According to a report published today, measures to cut down underwater noise could reduce the negative impact that offshore wind power development has on harbour porpoise populations in UK waters. The research, conducted by SMRU Consulting exclusively for WWF-UK, used noise reduction scenarios to identify the benefits of reducing noise by set amounts, against a baseline […]
Understanding underwater noise – Marine Noise Registry launched Amy Wardlaw, MMO, As human activities in the marine area increase so does underwater noise. Understanding and mitigating the impact of this is an important part of the sustainable development of our seas and protecting the marine environment for future generations. Underwater noise from human activities can […]
A long-term plan for managing noise in shallow parts of the ocean such as Falmouth Bay is needed to protect the environment, experts have said. Man-made noise in the marine environment can increase stress in animals, alter their behaviour, and displace them from habitats important to their daily lives. There has so far been limited […]