The United States Navy has been engaged in Naval Warfare Testing in their Northwest Training Range for many years. In the last few years they have expanded their Navy Warfare Testing Program in the Hawaiian Island, the Marianas Islands, Oregon, Washington, and Southern California.

Their expanded warfare testing in these areas of the Pacific Ocean could be negatively impacting all sea life and negatively impacting food chains and food supplies.

Now, in 2009, the United States Navy plans to hard 11.7 marine mammals (32 different species) in their proposal to expand their Navy Warfare Testing program in Washington, Oregon, Northern California, and Idaho. Their E.I.S. is located at: http://www.nwtrangecomplexeis.com and they are requesting that NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service Approve this “taking” of marine mammals in the Pacific during warfare exercises.

See Federal Register – U.S. Department of Commerce March 11, 2009 Navy request permit to harm or kill 32 different species of marine mammals. This permit could be approved by the NMFS anytime this year and the Navy intends to beging this warfare testing expansion in September 2009.

Instead of blaming global warming for our starving sea lions and birds we should be look at the U.S. Navy programs as a possible culprit and we should ask for U.S. Congressional Hearings on this topic.

In addition, the United States Navy, according to Congressman Waxman is now practicing Navy Warfare programs in the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico. What will be the impact of increasing their testing range in the Pacific on Marine Life?

Respectfully,

Ava Peterson
Agriculture Defense Coalition
E-Mail: info@californiaskywatch.com

It seems that over-fishing is killing off all the fish that these animals (and cormorants) would otherwise have eaten. So maybe the climate is changing, but I was told at the Marine Mammal center that the el nino is still so far down south that it should not be impacting these animals yet. That means it’s something else. Could it be all those sardines being swept up in those nets? The link above seems to point that direction.