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SmittyManJensen_ t1_j9g6vgt wrote

Every article I’ve read about this has specifically stated officials don’t believe there is a direct cause of death related to the surveying. That’s great, we all know that sonar doesn’t directly cause whales to die. But if a dozen whales are confused and disoriented by the surveying equipment being used and they proceed to swim into the path of a boat, which is something they don’t typically do, then maybe there may be a correlation there.

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WeCanDoThisCNJ t1_j9h2l31 wrote

So we should mothball our entire Atlantic fleet? Warships/submarines use sonar. Hey, if you want a total stand-down of military operations on the water, then get behind that.

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beowulf92 t1_j9h2754 wrote

While that's certainly possible, then you'd see this same scenario occurring all around the world where sonar is used for mapping around shipping lanes and whale migratory paths. Now I don't keep up with any news with stuff like that, so maybe it has been witnessed before, but I personally would need to see this scenario being seen elsewhere to truly be on board that sonar right now off our coast is to blame. There could also be a litany of other factors around our shoreline specifically that could be attributed to it too. Cleaner waters than we've had in the past could be leading to a healthier ecosystem with more fish and shrimp-esque organisms the whales will feed on, drawing them closer to shore and into shipping lanes. I've also seen theories of disease circulating around populations off our coast, which of the organisms are tested and that's found to be the case, would be a factor then. It should certainly be looked at, and if proven to have an actual correlation with the sonar, then yes it should be addressed. I haven't looked at any data, but if there's been an increase in beachings over the last several years preceding any mapping occurring, then that would point to something else being a cause as well.

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SmittyManJensen_ t1_j9h2rra wrote

Pausing the development for a little bit is not a bad idea though, nor would it be to pause anything else that may be causing it.

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peter-doubt t1_j9i1e96 wrote

Last time a big local project was "paused", it set back infrastructure by over a decade. Climate change marches on.. we need to get something done other than more talk.

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SmittyManJensen_ t1_j9i5xf3 wrote

And yet there’s no progress being made on nuclear.

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peter-doubt t1_j9jktwd wrote

I'm talking about a needed tunnel to NY...

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