Help Protect Scottish Dolphins From Military Exercise

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WDCS is extremely worried that the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) is expanding Europe’s largest military exercise, known as ‘Joint Warrior’, into the Moray Firth from Tuesday (13th Oct). The Moray Firth is the home to Scotlands only protected population of dolphins.

Please write to the MOD expressing your concerns about this development. Below we have suggested the content for a letter.

You will need to submit it on the MOD website.

Please also send a letter to your local MP or MSP.

Thank you.

Suggested letter to send to the Ministry of Defence:

"I would like to add my strong concerns to those raised by WDCS, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society to the news that the UK Ministry of Defence is expanding Europe’s largest military exercise, known as ‘Joint Warrior’, into the Moray Firth from today - Tuesday 13^thOctober. The Moray Firth is the home of the North Sea’s last resident population of bottlenose dolphins, numbering only about 130 animals and likely to be declining in numbers. The Moray Firth contains the only protected area in Scottish waters for any whale or dolphin species, the European designated sanctuary for the bottlenose dolphins, the Special Area of Conservation (SAC)”.These dolphins could be put at risk by this naval activity.

Joint Warrior, which will include up to 20 warships, 4 submarines and 40 aircraft from 9 countries, is taking place over two weeks and began on 5^th October 2009. The exercise will use powerful active sonar, which is a very loud noise source used to locate distant submarines and we are extremely concerned that the dolphins in the Moray Firth will not be adequately protected from sonar 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, illustrate how delicate an issue this is and how vulnerable dolphins may be to military activities.

Mitigation measures undertaken onboard the warships cannot be relied upon and animals will not be seen,especially if the weather is not good - putting this small and vulnerable population of dolphins, and all marine wildlife, at real risk. We do not believe that the MoD’s ERMC (2117) system, that is the system that includes all sightings and distribution information about the animals upon which they determine risk, contains enough information to make an informed decision.

The government’s nature conservation agencies, Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) have not gone far enough in implementing the EU Habitats Directive to protect wildlife in the Moray Firth. Nor have they 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 currently being considered by the UK government’s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

I fully support WDCS in their calls 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).

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. Given 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 species seen in the Moray Firth in the last few days that may be encountered during the exercise include the bottlenose dolphins, and also minke whales, harbour porpoises, Risso’s dolphins, orcas, pilot whales, basking sharks and sunfish. Ensuring strict protection of whales and dolphins throughout Scottish waters is a requirement of the EU Habitats Directive. The MoD must be accountable for its environmental activities.

I therefore request that as a matter of urgency, the MoD should undertake a full and transparent environmental assessment of all its exercises,as is currently occurring with the US Navy.  In addition I request that every effort should be made to avoid conducting exercises in sensitive areas."

Background to the Issue

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,illustrate how delicate an issue this is and how vulnerable dolphins may be.

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

“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, which will include up to 20 warships, 4 submarines and40aircraft from 9 countries, is taking place over two weeks and beganon5th October 2009. WDCS believes that its proposed expansion into the Moray Firth between Tuesday 13th – Thursday 15th October poses 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).

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 been sure. As a matter of urgency, the MoD should undertake a full and transparent environmental assessment of all its exercises”, Dolman concludes.

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