Appeals Court Orders Narrowed Relief in Whale Sonar Case
A federal appeals court is requiring the Navy to lessen the harm caused by its sonar to whales and other marine life.
The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said a solution needs to be worked out before naval exercises begin in January off the coast of Southern California, the Associated Press reports. The sonar is used to find submarines in coastal waters, but warships using it have caused deaths of whales and dolphins, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The ruling (PDF) said environmental groups were entitled to some kind of injunctive relief because they had shown a strong likelihood of winning their suit. It ordered the trial judge to craft a more narrowly tailored injunction than a previous one that had banned further sonar training pending a trial.
