
Court restricts U.S. Navy use of whale-killing sonar - ourmandave
http://www.wired.com/2016/07/sea-will-get-lot-quieter-without-navys-whale-killing-sonar/
======
dfc
I haven't finished the decision yet, but from what I have read it seems the
Wired reporter might have gotten a little eager to conclude that world is a
quiet place for whales.

The HN submitter definitely got too excited when they paraphrased the article
title. The ruling does not bar the use of LFA when there is an active military
conflict. SECNAV is not going to get spend a lot of time at Woods Hole
polishing an environmental impact study while the pacific fleet wonders where
a couple of nuclear armed enemy subs are located.

But don't take my word or the reporters word for it. The decision is here:

[https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2016/07/15/1...](https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2016/07/15/14-16375.pdf)

For those wondering,yes, this is the latest development in the string of cases
described in War of the Whales. The APA sounds kind of boring if you read the
Wikipedia summary. But when you consider cases like this or what to do with
DoC and ICANN it is actually pretty interesting, especially for technology or
science questions.

~~~
ourmandave
_The HN submitter definitely got too excited when they paraphrased the article
title._

I submitted it and I'm certain I used the original title:

    
    
      The Sea Will Get a Lot Quieter Without the Navy’s Whale-Killing Sonar
    

=(

~~~
dang
You did. We changed it in an attempt to be less baity than Wired's title (in
accordance with the HN guidelines). Looks like we made it inaccurate in the
process. Sorry!

I've changed it again and if someone wants to suggest a more accurate and
neutral title we can change it a third time.

------
forgottenpass
_communica—BLUURRRRGGGGHHHH AAAARRROOOOOO WAA WAA WAA—oh, sorry, pardon the
interruption._

With this Wired finally earns itself a position in the "Dead to me" section of
my /etc/hosts file. There isn't anything of value there, so I'll make sure
they don't earn a click from me again.

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dforrestwilson
This would have no impact on other countries like Russia and China, which use
similar technologies.

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darkseas
_Or consider if one of those creatures hears the noise while diving deep. If
it gets spooked and comes to the surface too fast, it will get the bends._

Correct me if I'm wrong, but i thought deep diving mammals couldn't get the
bends on breath-hold because they haven't breathed compressed gas. Sure, high
energy sound can damaging, but scare whales bent? please.

~~~
vilhelm_s
I don't think that matters. As the whale dives, their lungs get squished
together, so the air inside them is at a higher pressure, just as it would be
if you breathed from a pressure regulator. The noise pollution ->
decompression sickness theory is apparently an established thing:
[http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/saltwater-
science/do_wha...](http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/saltwater-
science/do_whales_suffer_from_decompression)

------
jchrisa
One of the linked sites goes deep on some old tests. I couldn't find any
recordings of the subwoofer tones they used though.
[http://staff.washington.edu/dushaw/heard/index.shtml](http://staff.washington.edu/dushaw/heard/index.shtml)

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sdoering
What is it with this "ad blockers are bad" thing?

So wired just won a spot in my blockfile (hosts file). When platforms get
their sh __t together again and make sure, ad networks won 't infect my
machine with malware I might switch back to not using an ad blocker. Till then
- who tries to force me get's killed from this machine.

~~~
melling
What is it with "paying to read" is a bad thing? They have to run a business.
Perhaps sites should offer the article add free for a small price? We could
use a better model for the internet.

~~~
mikegerwitz
I recommend a talk from EFF's Cooper Quintin about Privacy Badger; he
demonstrates all the third parties involved in many situations:

[https://media.libreplanet.org/u/libreplanet/m/ending-
online-...](https://media.libreplanet.org/u/libreplanet/m/ending-online-
tracking-privacy-badger-and-beyond/)

Even if you agree with the business model, it's a grim subject---a large part
of the objection is in _how_ it is done, be it tracking or underhanded baiting
tactics.

~~~
melling
I didn't say it wasn't. I was proposing that we devise another solution
whereby people can opt out of tracking/ads by paying to read.

