Noise threatens marine animal life

Increasing noise pollution in the wild is threatening the survival of whales and dolphins.

Hundreds of whales are stranded on Australia's Tasmanian coast on November 23, of which 72 died.Photo: AFP.

The warning was issued during the International Conference on Conservation of Migratory Wildlife in Rome for three days and ended yesterday. According to experts, marine animals use sound waves to communicate with others, looking for food. However, the sound they emit is overwhelmed by the noise emitted from military ships, ultrasound waves and climate change. Therefore, marine animals are disoriented, unable to find partners and have unusual behaviors.

The conference was attended by representatives of the 85 countries mentioned above, considering proposals to force countries to reduce noise pollution in the ocean. Other solutions include rearranging ocean voyages, reducing the speed of ships, banning the testing and use of ultrasound waves in waters with many near-extinct animals.

Mark Simmonds, a scientist from the Association of Whales and Dolphins Conservation, said: "We should call the noise pollution in the ocean a cross. The noise is getting bigger and bigger. somehow the animals in the water will not be able to hear anymore ".

According to Mark, more and more whales and dolphins are aground because of the loss of sound orientation. In some cases, ultrasound waves generated by naval vessels cause marine mammals to become disordered in orientation. A recent study showed that the increase in carbon dioxide in oceans is increasing their acidity, leading to an increase in the rate of sound transmission in the country.

According to a report by the International Fund for Animal Protection, the distance that blue whales can communicate with each other by sound waves has decreased by 90% due to increasing levels of noise pollution for 40 years. by.