Hon. Gordon R. England
Secretary of the Navy
1000 Navy Pentagon
Washington, DC 20350

RE: Stop needless harm to whales with sonar training exercises

Dear Secretary England,

I urge the U.S. Navy to stop needlessly inflicting harm on whales and other ocean life with your use of high-intensity mid-frequency sonar in training exercises.

A growing body of scientific evidence shows that such sonar can kill marine mammals by causing their organs to hemorrhage. In addition, an increasing number of mass strandings and die-offs of whales -- from the Canary Islands to the Bahamas to Japan -- have coincided with the military use of mid-frequency sonar. The International Whaling Commission has declared that the evidence now appears "overwhelming" that military sonar is causing mass strandings of whales.

I understand that the Navy's mission is defending our nation, but there are simple ways to protect marine mammals that will not hinder military readiness. I urge the Navy to immediately adopt such common-sense measures to keep whales safe. These include identifying low-risk areas for routine training, consistently establishing appropriate safety zones around ships transmitting sonar and reducing the source level of sonar signals.

Whales should not have to die for the sake of military training. Please take steps to ensure that the Navy is protecting our marine environment as well as our national security.