Major expansion of military exercise threatens Scotland’s only ‘protected’ dolphin population

New generation powerful sonar
Sarah Dolman, WDCS's Noise Campaign Manager, comments; "The exercise will use new generation powerful sonar, which is a very loud noise source and we are extremely concerned that the dolphins in the Moray Firth will not be adequately protected from this by the mitigation measures proposed. The recent deaths of common dolphins, such as the strandings that followed a military exercise off the Cornish coast last year (Click Mass dolphin stranding in Cornwall - at least 26 dolphins dead), illustrate how delicate an issue this is and how vulnerable dolphins may be.

"Society wouldn't condone exposing people to the equivalent, extreme levels of noise so why should it be acceptable to risk the health of vulnerable dolphins in such a way?

European Law
"The government's nature conservation agencies have not gone far enough to protect wildlife in the area, Dolman continues. "They have not met the requirements of European law that protect the bottlenose dolphins, or fully considered the impacts that the exercise might have in combination with other activities happening (or proposed) in the Moray Firth, including a potential massive expansion of seismic surveying - which again uses very loud noise."

Joint Warrior
Joint Warrior, which will include up to 20 warships, 4 submarines and 40 aircraft from 9 countries, took place over two weeks in October 2009. WDCS believes that the expansion into the Moray Firth between posed a direct threat to the North Sea's vulnerable 130 bottlenose dolphins, and other marine wildlife found in the outer Moray Firth at this time of year.

WDCS has been calling on the MoD to undertake a full environmental assessment of its exercises around the UK for a number of years, particularly Joint Warrior, due to its size and regular occurrence (it takes place twice a year).

Expanding the naval exercise

Military sonar can cause very unusual behaviours and als strandings amongst cetaceans. Credit Lewis Drysdale.

Dolman adds; "Although the UK MoD has conducted Joint Warrior in the waters off the west coast of Scotland for many decades, it has never, as far as we are aware, made a full environmental assessment of its potential impacts. Further, exercise Joint Warrior is now expanding from the west coast and into the outer Moray Firth - into the region of the bottlenose dolphin's habitat and their European designated sanctuary, the Special Area of Conservation (SAC)".

The UK government has recently undertaken to conduct a three year programme of research to ensure that its oil and gas activities will not significantly and negatively affect the dolphins and disturb other marine life of the Moray Firth.

Dolman continues; "Particularly, given the proposed use of sonar as part of this exercise and the known impacts sonar can have on marine life, the Ministry of Defence should undertake the same level of investigation to ensure compliance with legislation before it moves its exercise into this important, and protected habitat.

"The MoD is engaging in a dialogue with all relevant stakeholders and we welcome this dialogue", says Dolman. "However, serious questions remain and we have yet to see evidence that this dialogue is translated into ensuring full protection of marine species in Scottish waters. Further, the MoD should not play the role of both the perpetrator and the guardian. It must be accountable for its environmental activities.

"WDCS believes that all marine users should be held accountable to the same standards. We are not suggesting that the MoD should not conduct exercises, but that it, along with JNCC, should fully consider its environmental responsibilities first and fully, and act accordingly.

"It is clear that exercise Joint Warrior should not be expanded into the Moray Firth if the protection of the whales and dolphins that reside there cannot be ensured. As a matter of urgency, the MoD should undertake a full and transparent environmental assessment of all its exercises", Dolman concludes.

Courtesy of The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society