1 00:00:06,039 --> 00:00:09,342 March 15, 2000... the day of infamy, 2 00:00:09,343 --> 00:00:10,977 as far as I'm concerned. 3 00:00:19,653 --> 00:00:21,120 I woke up in the morning, 4 00:00:21,121 --> 00:00:23,956 started having coffee, telling our team of people 5 00:00:23,957 --> 00:00:26,326 that had just arrived that, you know, the chances 6 00:00:26,327 --> 00:00:31,030 of seeing a beaked whale in a 10‐day period are slim. 7 00:00:31,031 --> 00:00:32,265 My assistant, Dave, 8 00:00:32,266 --> 00:00:34,500 came running inside and saying, "Ken! 9 00:00:34,501 --> 00:00:36,135 Ken! There's a beaked whale right on the beach, 10 00:00:36,136 --> 00:00:37,738 right in front of the house!" 11 00:00:39,706 --> 00:00:42,642 And sure enough, there was a goose‐beaked whale swimming... 12 00:00:42,643 --> 00:00:44,677 Moving his tail anyway, 13 00:00:44,678 --> 00:00:48,948 as if it was trying to get up the beach. 14 00:00:48,949 --> 00:00:51,584 In my mind, or maybe out loud, 15 00:00:51,585 --> 00:00:54,587 I said, 16 00:00:54,588 --> 00:00:56,390 "what are you doing here?" 17 00:01:01,602 --> 00:01:03,804 They're supposed to be in deep water. 18 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:09,409 So I pushed it back out to sea. 19 00:01:12,346 --> 00:01:15,981 Go, baby, go! 20 00:01:15,982 --> 00:01:19,219 It swam out a little ways. 21 00:01:19,220 --> 00:01:22,255 And it came back in. 22 00:01:22,256 --> 00:01:23,956 We did this two or three times. 23 00:01:23,957 --> 00:01:25,658 And then some neighbors came along and said, 24 00:01:25,659 --> 00:01:28,094 "there's another one down at the point." 25 00:01:33,634 --> 00:01:37,370 Covered it with, uh, sheets and kept splashing water on it, 26 00:01:37,371 --> 00:01:40,407 while the rest kept trying to push the other whale out. 27 00:01:42,709 --> 00:01:45,010 And then our neighbors came and said, "there's another whale 28 00:01:45,011 --> 00:01:48,815 just another 200 yards up the beach from us." 29 00:01:55,222 --> 00:01:58,090 As the day unfolded, we had people calling 30 00:01:58,091 --> 00:02:02,335 from all over the Northern Bahamas saying, 31 00:02:02,336 --> 00:02:05,138 "a whale strand here, whale strands there." 32 00:02:12,946 --> 00:02:15,215 Something was causing all these whales 33 00:02:15,216 --> 00:02:17,450 to wanna abandon the deep water 34 00:02:17,451 --> 00:02:19,920 and get the hell outta there. 35 00:02:22,456 --> 00:02:24,558 It was, uh, kinda devastating. 36 00:02:27,794 --> 00:02:30,162 Animals that I had grown to know 37 00:02:30,163 --> 00:02:34,368 over a 10‐year period were now dead. 38 00:02:36,370 --> 00:02:39,705 They were trying to get away. 39 00:02:39,706 --> 00:02:43,109 I was driven to find out why. 40 00:03:40,674 --> 00:03:42,042 Everywhere on Earth, 41 00:03:42,043 --> 00:03:44,910 we can hear the songs of life... 42 00:03:44,911 --> 00:03:47,947 From the smallest insects 43 00:03:47,948 --> 00:03:50,250 to the largest animals on the planet. 44 00:03:51,885 --> 00:03:56,389 But most of us only hear half of this living symphony. 45 00:03:56,390 --> 00:03:58,424 There's a completely different orchestra 46 00:03:58,425 --> 00:04:01,001 playing beneath the surface of the sea. 47 00:04:03,570 --> 00:04:06,105 One of the most memorable moments 48 00:04:06,106 --> 00:04:08,508 I have in my life 49 00:04:08,509 --> 00:04:11,010 was the first time I put on headphones 50 00:04:11,011 --> 00:04:12,778 in the arctic. 51 00:04:12,779 --> 00:04:14,214 It's gray and white. 52 00:04:14,215 --> 00:04:16,516 It's almost sensory... Complete sensory deprivation. 53 00:04:16,517 --> 00:04:17,617 I can't smell anything. 54 00:04:17,618 --> 00:04:20,085 I can barely taste anything. 55 00:04:20,086 --> 00:04:22,322 We found a little opening of water, 56 00:04:22,323 --> 00:04:25,659 in which I dropped two underwater microphones. 57 00:04:28,061 --> 00:04:32,165 Put on the headphones, I was completely amazed. 58 00:04:44,478 --> 00:04:47,079 Bearded seals coming out of the ether, 59 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:50,316 as though they were from "the martian chronicles." 60 00:04:56,223 --> 00:04:59,866 Beluga whales chirping and chattering and clicking. 61 00:05:03,237 --> 00:05:05,338 And then the bowhead whales, 62 00:05:05,339 --> 00:05:08,942 roaring low‐frequency moans. 63 00:05:12,946 --> 00:05:15,315 And I was like, "Oh, my God! 64 00:05:15,316 --> 00:05:17,418 This is fantastic!" 65 00:05:20,421 --> 00:05:22,355 Chris Clark has been recording 66 00:05:22,356 --> 00:05:25,258 the symphony of life on Earth 67 00:05:25,459 --> 00:05:29,329 for more than 40 years. 68 00:05:29,330 --> 00:05:31,497 He has built one of the largest collections 69 00:05:31,498 --> 00:05:35,268 of animal sounds on the planet. 70 00:05:35,269 --> 00:05:37,470 I listen to the world. 71 00:05:37,471 --> 00:05:40,906 And to me, song is life. 72 00:05:40,907 --> 00:05:43,309 It is the essence of who we are. 73 00:05:43,310 --> 00:05:45,111 And it joins us all. 74 00:05:53,220 --> 00:05:55,255 The problem is, in the ocean, 75 00:05:55,256 --> 00:05:59,625 we are injecting enormous amounts of noise, 76 00:05:59,626 --> 00:06:01,367 so much so that we are basically 77 00:06:01,368 --> 00:06:06,171 acoustically bleaching the ocean. 78 00:06:06,172 --> 00:06:10,543 All the singing voices of the planet 79 00:06:10,544 --> 00:06:15,481 are lost in that cloud of noise. 80 00:06:15,482 --> 00:06:17,250 This accumulation of sound 81 00:06:17,251 --> 00:06:21,854 is changing the entire ecosystem underwater. 82 00:06:21,855 --> 00:06:24,290 Some of the animals most directly affected 83 00:06:24,291 --> 00:06:26,226 by this Sonic invasion 84 00:06:26,227 --> 00:06:29,263 are the largest ever to have lived on Earth. 85 00:06:41,742 --> 00:06:43,075 They're so large. 86 00:06:43,076 --> 00:06:46,547 And they're so dramatic and magnificent. 87 00:06:55,121 --> 00:06:58,658 They are highly conscious animals. 88 00:06:58,659 --> 00:07:01,502 They have self‐awareness. They think. 89 00:07:05,372 --> 00:07:10,477 They have intellectual capabilities that rival ours. 90 00:07:18,852 --> 00:07:21,921 And their graciousness... 91 00:07:21,922 --> 00:07:23,523 They're mammals. They're just like us. 92 00:07:23,524 --> 00:07:26,692 They're a very specialized form 93 00:07:26,693 --> 00:07:29,028 of life on this planet that, 94 00:07:29,029 --> 00:07:31,131 basically, rules the ocean. 95 00:07:33,967 --> 00:07:37,069 All whales can hear. 96 00:07:37,070 --> 00:07:38,972 They have to for their survival. 97 00:07:49,983 --> 00:07:52,918 The ocean is a completely different place 98 00:07:52,919 --> 00:07:56,656 acoustically than in the air. 99 00:07:56,657 --> 00:08:01,301 Sound can travel enormous distances 100 00:08:01,302 --> 00:08:03,469 very, very fast, 101 00:08:03,470 --> 00:08:06,039 whereas light doesn't travel very far at all. 102 00:08:08,442 --> 00:08:12,112 And the whales have evolved to take advantage of that. 103 00:08:15,482 --> 00:08:19,386 They can hear storms that are 1,000 miles away. 104 00:08:24,525 --> 00:08:29,395 For humans, well, it's important for us to hear, 105 00:08:29,396 --> 00:08:31,431 but not nearly as important 106 00:08:31,432 --> 00:08:33,933 as it is for whales, dolphins 107 00:08:33,934 --> 00:08:35,602 and many kinds of fish. 108 00:08:39,005 --> 00:08:41,641 They're relying on being able 109 00:08:41,642 --> 00:08:44,278 to sense their environment acoustically. 110 00:08:51,117 --> 00:08:54,053 Whether it's finding their buddies, 111 00:08:54,054 --> 00:08:57,057 knowing where food is, knowing where the shoreline is. 112 00:08:59,893 --> 00:09:01,166 Well, they certainly have eyes. 113 00:09:01,167 --> 00:09:02,635 And they use their eyes. 114 00:09:02,636 --> 00:09:04,737 But they're far more reliant 115 00:09:04,738 --> 00:09:08,608 on their hearing to live. 116 00:09:08,609 --> 00:09:11,911 Think about it... even in the clearest ocean water, 117 00:09:11,912 --> 00:09:17,149 visibility is nothing close to what you have on the land. 118 00:09:17,150 --> 00:09:21,186 And 100 feet is considered to be really good. 119 00:09:21,187 --> 00:09:23,223 But you can look up at the stars 120 00:09:23,224 --> 00:09:25,825 and see light that has been transmitted 121 00:09:25,826 --> 00:09:28,528 over millions of miles on the land. 122 00:09:28,529 --> 00:09:34,367 You can look and see mountains in the distance, miles away. 123 00:09:34,368 --> 00:09:39,439 Just as air is a brilliant medium for light, 124 00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:42,943 water is a brilliant medium for sound. 125 00:09:47,047 --> 00:09:49,515 To give you an example, 126 00:09:49,516 --> 00:09:51,351 in the early 1990s, 127 00:09:51,352 --> 00:09:52,852 a group of scientists 128 00:09:52,853 --> 00:09:55,588 put a noise-making device, uh, 129 00:09:55,589 --> 00:09:58,791 down in the Southern Indian ocean. 130 00:09:58,792 --> 00:10:03,236 They wanted to see just how far sound would travel. 131 00:10:03,237 --> 00:10:07,039 The sound that they produced carried into the Atlantic ocean, 132 00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:09,008 into the Pacific ocean. 133 00:10:09,009 --> 00:10:10,175 It carried as far 134 00:10:10,176 --> 00:10:12,077 as those researchers were listening. 135 00:10:12,078 --> 00:10:15,415 Their furthest hydrophone, or underwater microphone, 136 00:10:15,416 --> 00:10:18,784 was positioned off of Washington state, 137 00:10:18,785 --> 00:10:23,323 which means that the sound traveled some 17,000 kilometers 138 00:10:23,324 --> 00:10:25,125 and was still audible. 139 00:10:28,462 --> 00:10:32,498 And the whales see the ocean through sound. 140 00:10:32,499 --> 00:10:35,902 So their mind's eye is their mind's ear. 141 00:10:43,379 --> 00:10:47,015 So I'm in this tent with an Inupiat whaling captain. 142 00:10:47,016 --> 00:10:50,385 And I want the ears for science. 143 00:10:50,386 --> 00:10:52,821 I wanna get the ear bones of the whale 144 00:10:52,822 --> 00:10:54,389 so that I can give 'em to a colleague, 145 00:10:54,390 --> 00:10:56,725 who is a scientist, to understand, 146 00:10:56,726 --> 00:10:58,160 how do they hear? 147 00:10:58,161 --> 00:11:02,537 What... what is so different about these animals? 148 00:11:02,538 --> 00:11:06,642 And this Inupiat whaling captain just looked at me. 149 00:11:06,643 --> 00:11:10,512 And very deliberately, he said, 150 00:11:10,513 --> 00:11:15,383 "do you know that the ears are the entrance 151 00:11:15,384 --> 00:11:17,921 to the soul of the whale?" 152 00:11:20,189 --> 00:11:23,860 And now, I even get emotional remembering that statement. 153 00:11:27,964 --> 00:11:30,065 The ears of this animal 154 00:11:30,066 --> 00:11:33,769 are the entrance to its self‐consciousness, 155 00:11:33,770 --> 00:11:37,006 to its life, to its history, to its future. 156 00:11:56,259 --> 00:11:57,759 The Bahamas stranding, well, 157 00:11:57,760 --> 00:12:01,236 we had specimens that had died within hours. 158 00:12:01,237 --> 00:12:02,905 And I knew 159 00:12:02,906 --> 00:12:06,008 that collecting a fresh specimen 160 00:12:06,009 --> 00:12:08,710 and freezing it as soon as possible 161 00:12:08,711 --> 00:12:10,645 would provide the best evidence 162 00:12:10,646 --> 00:12:12,948 that would show what sort of damage 163 00:12:12,949 --> 00:12:15,617 was going on internally. 164 00:12:15,618 --> 00:12:18,186 I transported two beaked whale heads 165 00:12:18,187 --> 00:12:22,190 and a dolphin from Bahamas 166 00:12:22,191 --> 00:12:24,392 and got 'em over to a commercial airplane 167 00:12:24,393 --> 00:12:26,428 going to Boston. 168 00:12:26,429 --> 00:12:28,797 Trucked the specimens right over to the cat scans 169 00:12:28,798 --> 00:12:31,199 at Harvard medical school and, 170 00:12:31,200 --> 00:12:32,735 by 2 A. M., 171 00:12:32,736 --> 00:12:36,104 had seen the evidence of sub-arachnoid hemorrhage 172 00:12:36,105 --> 00:12:40,944 around the brain and blood around the ears. 173 00:12:43,279 --> 00:12:47,083 Uh, they were definitely, uh, impacted. 174 00:12:49,152 --> 00:12:55,090 I knew that it was a human‐caused stranding. 175 00:12:55,091 --> 00:12:57,760 I was very concerned that, uh, we learn 176 00:12:57,761 --> 00:13:01,036 what specifically are we doing that 177 00:13:01,037 --> 00:13:03,538 is causing these mortalities, 178 00:13:03,539 --> 00:13:06,109 and not do this again. 179 00:13:10,714 --> 00:13:14,182 Humans have been changing the sound of the oceans 180 00:13:14,183 --> 00:13:17,352 since we first started exploring the seas. 181 00:13:17,353 --> 00:13:20,088 But our ocean presence has exploded 182 00:13:20,089 --> 00:13:22,225 over the last 5 decades. 183 00:13:30,599 --> 00:13:32,468 The world that these long‐lived creatures 184 00:13:32,469 --> 00:13:36,773 have experienced is changed on a geologic scale. 185 00:13:38,875 --> 00:13:41,945 We are seeing just a different planet. 186 00:13:45,114 --> 00:13:50,986 Some whales, they live to be 150 to 200 years old. 187 00:13:50,987 --> 00:13:53,689 When those whales were teenagers, 188 00:13:53,690 --> 00:13:56,825 the world was quiet. Okay? 189 00:13:56,826 --> 00:14:00,402 So if I disrupt your ability to hunt, 190 00:14:00,403 --> 00:14:02,738 or if I disrupt the ability of a female 191 00:14:02,739 --> 00:14:04,807 to make a choice between the best singers 192 00:14:04,808 --> 00:14:06,775 because she can only hear the ones 193 00:14:06,776 --> 00:14:09,712 that are closest to her, 194 00:14:09,713 --> 00:14:11,781 what's the impact of that? 195 00:14:13,883 --> 00:14:15,618 Getting lost in the ocean 196 00:14:15,619 --> 00:14:19,087 must be terrifying to a young whale. 197 00:14:19,088 --> 00:14:22,891 Can't find its mother. Can't find its family. 198 00:14:22,892 --> 00:14:25,828 A lost whale, in that sense, 199 00:14:25,829 --> 00:14:28,264 would be, likely, a dead whale. 200 00:14:32,468 --> 00:14:34,703 Uh, I've known about whale song for a long time. 201 00:14:34,704 --> 00:14:36,571 And I've heard it many times. 202 00:14:36,572 --> 00:14:39,507 And also astounded by how... 203 00:14:39,508 --> 00:14:42,044 The distance that their songs can travel, 204 00:14:42,045 --> 00:14:45,413 that they have to communicate, sometimes, ocean‐wide. 205 00:14:45,414 --> 00:14:47,316 Um, it's like a telephone. 206 00:14:50,654 --> 00:14:52,320 And so it would be logical 207 00:14:52,321 --> 00:14:54,757 that their hearing would be as powerful 208 00:14:54,758 --> 00:14:58,166 as their reach when... when they sing. 209 00:14:58,167 --> 00:14:59,935 I make my living as a musician. 210 00:14:59,936 --> 00:15:04,607 I've subjected myself to industrial levels of noise 211 00:15:04,608 --> 00:15:06,208 because of it. 212 00:15:06,209 --> 00:15:08,110 And my hearing is impaired. 213 00:15:08,111 --> 00:15:10,713 And so I'm increasingly more aware 214 00:15:10,714 --> 00:15:13,649 of the Sonic world we live in. 215 00:15:13,650 --> 00:15:15,351 I prefer silence. 216 00:15:17,520 --> 00:15:19,221 I was born and raised, um, 217 00:15:19,222 --> 00:15:21,389 next to a shipyard in the North of England. 218 00:15:21,390 --> 00:15:23,826 At the end of my street are some of the biggest, 219 00:15:23,827 --> 00:15:28,030 um, ships ever constructed on planet Earth. 220 00:15:28,031 --> 00:15:31,566 They would launch them with the, uh, timbers cracking 221 00:15:31,567 --> 00:15:33,869 and the drag chains being pulled. 222 00:15:33,870 --> 00:15:35,070 And as a small child, I... 223 00:15:35,071 --> 00:15:39,609 I found that, uh, stirring and frightening. 224 00:15:42,979 --> 00:15:45,948 No, you wouldn't think about what was going on under the sea. 225 00:15:45,949 --> 00:15:49,051 It was just some... A means of, you know, 226 00:15:49,052 --> 00:15:51,687 transporting things or transporting people, 227 00:15:51,688 --> 00:15:55,190 rather than, uh, to go underneath it. 228 00:15:55,191 --> 00:15:56,792 The dominant change 229 00:15:56,793 --> 00:15:58,433 in the conditions of underwater noise 230 00:15:58,434 --> 00:16:01,503 has been from commercial shipping. 231 00:16:01,504 --> 00:16:04,740 So, ships are the way we really move goods 232 00:16:04,741 --> 00:16:07,009 on this planet. 233 00:16:07,010 --> 00:16:10,312 We move over 98 percent of the stuff 234 00:16:10,313 --> 00:16:14,217 we need to get from point A to point B using ships. 235 00:16:16,419 --> 00:16:17,820 At any given time, 236 00:16:17,821 --> 00:16:21,189 there are an estimated 60,000 commercial chips 237 00:16:21,190 --> 00:16:23,359 traversing the world's oceans. 238 00:16:27,363 --> 00:16:30,165 They're enormous. They're like cities on water 239 00:16:30,166 --> 00:16:32,801 with far fewer people. 240 00:16:32,802 --> 00:16:36,271 And the sound of all of those ships, 241 00:16:36,272 --> 00:16:38,140 all in the water at once, 242 00:16:38,141 --> 00:16:41,877 has literally filled our oceans with... 243 00:16:41,878 --> 00:16:43,746 With noise. 244 00:16:43,747 --> 00:16:47,783 One of the things about noise in the ocean 245 00:16:47,784 --> 00:16:50,418 is that humans are not aware of it at all. 246 00:16:50,419 --> 00:16:54,322 It's one of these out of sight, out of mind kind of things. 247 00:16:54,323 --> 00:16:56,524 It really is, in a... In a sense, a cacophony 248 00:16:56,525 --> 00:16:57,726 of sound 249 00:16:57,727 --> 00:17:01,704 that surrounds the whales at this point. 250 00:17:01,705 --> 00:17:04,873 Paul Spong is the Co‐Director of Orcalab, 251 00:17:04,874 --> 00:17:06,341 a Whale‐research Station 252 00:17:06,342 --> 00:17:09,545 on Hanson Island off British Columbia, Canada. 253 00:17:13,617 --> 00:17:16,084 He and his team use hydrophones to record 254 00:17:16,085 --> 00:17:17,953 and study the sounds of orca pods 255 00:17:17,954 --> 00:17:19,889 in the Pacific Northwest. 256 00:17:22,659 --> 00:17:26,029 There are a host of reasons for caring about whales. 257 00:17:29,966 --> 00:17:33,703 Certainly the beauty and their lifestyle. 258 00:17:36,505 --> 00:17:38,607 With orcas, you have, for example, 259 00:17:38,608 --> 00:17:39,975 the most powerful creature in... 260 00:17:39,976 --> 00:17:44,346 On the planet living an utterly peaceful life. 261 00:17:44,347 --> 00:17:46,149 That's impressive. 262 00:17:48,685 --> 00:17:50,518 Each of the family groups has, uh, 263 00:17:50,519 --> 00:17:52,287 their own special dialect 264 00:17:52,288 --> 00:17:54,222 that we listen to. 265 00:17:54,223 --> 00:17:56,792 So we can understand a lot about who's there just from... 266 00:17:56,793 --> 00:17:59,668 Just from the sounds that they make. 267 00:17:59,669 --> 00:18:03,171 We know when they're hunting. We know when they're resting. 268 00:18:03,172 --> 00:18:05,140 We know when they're socializing. 269 00:18:05,141 --> 00:18:07,375 We know when they're having a great time together 270 00:18:07,376 --> 00:18:08,877 down at the rubbing beaches 271 00:18:08,878 --> 00:18:12,380 'cause we're listening all the time. 272 00:18:12,381 --> 00:18:14,149 Cruise ships, the freighters 273 00:18:14,150 --> 00:18:16,919 are very recent phenomena in their history. 274 00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:20,255 Now, sound is everywhere around them, 275 00:18:20,256 --> 00:18:22,490 much of the time. 276 00:18:22,491 --> 00:18:24,392 When a cruise ship comes along. 277 00:18:24,393 --> 00:18:26,328 And a cruise ship kinda comes around the corner 278 00:18:26,329 --> 00:18:29,597 into the acoustic field of that... of the whales. 279 00:18:29,598 --> 00:18:31,900 You can hear what happens. 280 00:18:31,901 --> 00:18:34,169 This is a group of G clan whales. 281 00:18:51,223 --> 00:18:53,058 When a cruise ship comes along, 282 00:18:53,059 --> 00:18:55,166 you can hear what happens. 283 00:19:02,574 --> 00:19:04,776 Anyway, the whales, uh, are calling away. 284 00:19:04,777 --> 00:19:06,044 And they, uh, 285 00:19:06,045 --> 00:19:08,413 uh, try to continue it for a little while. 286 00:19:08,414 --> 00:19:12,250 Then they get totally drowned out. 287 00:19:12,251 --> 00:19:14,652 Noise interferes with hunting, 288 00:19:14,653 --> 00:19:18,123 with a whale's ability to find fish. 289 00:19:18,124 --> 00:19:21,259 Well, if you reduce the amount of food 290 00:19:21,260 --> 00:19:23,328 that whales can get, 291 00:19:23,329 --> 00:19:27,233 then you're directly impacting their well‐being, their lives. 292 00:19:31,503 --> 00:19:33,371 I think when you listen to the hydrophones, 293 00:19:33,372 --> 00:19:34,706 it's hard to think 294 00:19:34,707 --> 00:19:37,776 that that noise does not have an impact on the whales. 295 00:19:37,777 --> 00:19:40,611 I mean, sometimes, it... Listening on the headphones 296 00:19:40,612 --> 00:19:43,281 gives you a headache within 10 minutes. 297 00:19:43,282 --> 00:19:44,682 You have to take the headphones off. 298 00:19:44,683 --> 00:19:46,551 You have to turn the volume down. 299 00:19:46,552 --> 00:19:49,587 And I just think, you know, "the whales, 300 00:19:49,588 --> 00:19:51,824 they can't turn the volume down." 301 00:20:02,674 --> 00:20:04,675 Several years ago, I was at a meeting 302 00:20:04,676 --> 00:20:07,745 about ship noise in Hamburg, Germany. 303 00:20:07,746 --> 00:20:10,448 And we went down and saw some of the newest 304 00:20:10,449 --> 00:20:12,050 and largest container ships. 305 00:20:12,051 --> 00:20:14,986 And they're striking. 306 00:20:14,987 --> 00:20:17,855 They're basically skyscrapers turned sideways 307 00:20:17,856 --> 00:20:21,259 with giant engines put on the back of 'em. 308 00:20:21,260 --> 00:20:23,728 Some of the sound may come from the engines 309 00:20:23,729 --> 00:20:25,363 that's transmitted through the hull. 310 00:20:25,364 --> 00:20:29,234 But the majority of it comes from what is happening right 311 00:20:29,235 --> 00:20:31,002 at the propeller. 312 00:20:33,572 --> 00:20:35,406 It's called cavitation. 313 00:20:35,407 --> 00:20:37,275 That's when the bubbles created by the blades 314 00:20:37,276 --> 00:20:40,946 of the propeller collapse and burst underwater. 315 00:20:40,947 --> 00:20:44,015 It's not so much the collapse of an individual bubble. 316 00:20:44,016 --> 00:20:45,683 It's all of them, eh, 317 00:20:45,684 --> 00:20:49,788 at once creating a very loud hiss. 318 00:20:52,358 --> 00:20:55,201 The ship's engines generate noise as well. 319 00:20:56,568 --> 00:21:00,771 Basically, the way ship engines are historically built 320 00:21:00,772 --> 00:21:04,009 is you bolt 'em to the frame. 321 00:21:04,010 --> 00:21:07,478 And then it vibrates the frame and makes that sound transmit 322 00:21:07,479 --> 00:21:09,915 through all the steel or the hull 323 00:21:09,916 --> 00:21:12,650 and out into the water. 324 00:21:12,651 --> 00:21:14,953 Over the last 60 years, 325 00:21:14,954 --> 00:21:18,489 the number of ships moving over the global surface 326 00:21:18,490 --> 00:21:21,227 of the world has increased dramatically. 327 00:21:23,195 --> 00:21:24,695 You can look at the curves. 328 00:21:24,696 --> 00:21:27,232 And it's just going up and up and up and up. 329 00:21:27,233 --> 00:21:29,600 It really is just like a highway, you know, 330 00:21:29,601 --> 00:21:32,370 the Los Angeles freeway or the long island expressway. 331 00:21:32,371 --> 00:21:35,006 And if you look at the taillights of those cars, 332 00:21:35,007 --> 00:21:36,975 it would be solid light. 333 00:21:36,976 --> 00:21:40,011 That's the shipping Lane, where, 334 00:21:40,012 --> 00:21:41,947 in this case, the light 335 00:21:41,948 --> 00:21:45,483 is all the noise from all the ships. 336 00:21:45,484 --> 00:21:47,485 Is there any evidence that all of this noise 337 00:21:47,486 --> 00:21:50,656 is making life difficult for whales and fishes? 338 00:21:54,693 --> 00:21:57,702 Most of humanity lives in the Northern hemisphere. 339 00:21:57,703 --> 00:21:59,804 There's a fraction of the percentage 340 00:21:59,805 --> 00:22:02,773 of commercial shipping in the Southern hemisphere. 341 00:22:02,774 --> 00:22:05,076 Well, we have Southern right whales. 342 00:22:05,077 --> 00:22:07,946 They're cousins of the Northern right whales. 343 00:22:07,947 --> 00:22:12,550 Those populations are going gangbusters. 344 00:22:12,551 --> 00:22:14,986 But up North, their cousins... 345 00:22:14,987 --> 00:22:17,388 Same kind of habitat, everything else... 346 00:22:17,389 --> 00:22:21,459 They're struggling to get by. 347 00:22:21,460 --> 00:22:23,394 Why is that? 348 00:22:23,395 --> 00:22:25,964 You can say, "how many ships are going through the area?" 349 00:22:25,965 --> 00:22:27,933 But so what? 350 00:22:27,934 --> 00:22:31,236 How... how do you show that that has any influence 351 00:22:31,237 --> 00:22:34,272 or any impact or makes any difference? 352 00:22:34,273 --> 00:22:36,441 Well, we really needed a laboratory for that. 353 00:22:36,442 --> 00:22:38,243 We needed a place where you could draw a line 354 00:22:38,244 --> 00:22:40,478 around it and ask, "okay. 355 00:22:40,479 --> 00:22:44,082 Within these waters, what are those contributions?" 356 00:22:44,083 --> 00:22:47,552 Researchers chose Cape Cod Bay near Boston, 357 00:22:47,553 --> 00:22:51,522 an important habitat of North Atlantic right whales. 358 00:22:51,523 --> 00:22:57,368 And what was surprising in that was how bad it was. 359 00:22:57,369 --> 00:23:00,538 You see right whale calls illuminated 360 00:23:00,539 --> 00:23:02,941 like little firefly light. 361 00:23:02,942 --> 00:23:04,910 And then, every so often, 362 00:23:04,911 --> 00:23:07,279 several times a day, a ship will come in. 363 00:23:10,716 --> 00:23:12,383 Comes in like a flood light. 364 00:23:12,384 --> 00:23:16,222 It obliterates the whale's ability to hear. 365 00:23:18,357 --> 00:23:21,192 The study revealed that North Atlantic right whales lost 366 00:23:21,193 --> 00:23:22,527 up to 80 percent 367 00:23:22,528 --> 00:23:24,229 of their ability to hear the songs 368 00:23:24,230 --> 00:23:26,831 of their friends and mates. 369 00:23:26,832 --> 00:23:29,700 That's a really dramatic loss of space for these animals 370 00:23:29,701 --> 00:23:31,669 during really critical time periods. 371 00:23:31,670 --> 00:23:35,706 It's just ripping the communicate system apart. 372 00:23:35,707 --> 00:23:37,742 Are they not getting enough to eat? 373 00:23:37,743 --> 00:23:39,344 And are they stressed out? 374 00:23:39,345 --> 00:23:42,547 So there, you get a linkage to the whole reproductive cycle, 375 00:23:42,548 --> 00:23:45,416 to the whole biology. 376 00:23:45,417 --> 00:23:51,122 There may be 450 of them left in the entire ocean. 377 00:23:51,123 --> 00:23:55,134 That species is fighting for its life right now. 378 00:24:00,006 --> 00:24:03,708 I joined the Navy in March, 1967. 379 00:24:03,709 --> 00:24:06,244 I learned how to fly, got my wings. 380 00:24:06,245 --> 00:24:08,413 And got stationed at a Sosus station, 381 00:24:08,414 --> 00:24:12,383 which was sound surveillance, undersea. 382 00:24:12,384 --> 00:24:15,720 The operations were that you listen to hydrophone systems 383 00:24:15,721 --> 00:24:18,357 in the ocean for enemy submarines. 384 00:24:19,491 --> 00:24:22,260 Sosus... 385 00:24:22,261 --> 00:24:27,332 That name was top‐secret. 386 00:24:27,333 --> 00:24:28,934 Now, in 1991, 387 00:24:28,935 --> 00:24:31,502 the Soviet union was collapsing. 388 00:24:31,503 --> 00:24:35,040 And the U. S. Navy offered up Sosus. 389 00:24:35,041 --> 00:24:36,541 I walk in the building, 390 00:24:36,542 --> 00:24:39,144 High security, the whole thing. 391 00:24:39,145 --> 00:24:43,881 And it's like there are maps all over the walls. 392 00:24:43,882 --> 00:24:46,117 There's all this machinery. 393 00:24:46,118 --> 00:24:48,987 And the way, I metaphorically speak of this... 394 00:24:48,988 --> 00:24:52,123 The world I've been living in fits underneath the head 395 00:24:52,124 --> 00:24:54,592 of a pin in the ocean. 396 00:24:54,593 --> 00:24:58,636 This system, this is the Hubble telescope. 397 00:24:58,637 --> 00:25:01,572 I can listen anywhere in the ocean 398 00:25:01,573 --> 00:25:04,142 I want to at any time. 399 00:25:04,143 --> 00:25:07,145 Someone says to me, "hey, doc. 400 00:25:07,146 --> 00:25:09,880 You think you could use this for studying whales?" 401 00:25:09,881 --> 00:25:13,184 And it was, like, "expletive deleted." 402 00:25:13,185 --> 00:25:16,821 "Are you blipping kidding me?" 403 00:25:16,822 --> 00:25:18,623 And it was in that room, 404 00:25:18,624 --> 00:25:21,459 I literally crossed the beams 405 00:25:21,460 --> 00:25:25,430 pointing to a blue whale singing off of Ireland. 406 00:25:25,431 --> 00:25:28,799 I was listening to it from Virginia. 407 00:25:33,672 --> 00:25:36,908 Since biologists have been given access to Sosus, 408 00:25:36,909 --> 00:25:39,477 it has become the single most important tool 409 00:25:39,478 --> 00:25:43,081 for listening to whales ocean‐wide. 410 00:25:43,082 --> 00:25:46,684 This listening system has also allowed scientist to track 411 00:25:46,685 --> 00:25:48,987 the rise of human‐produced noise 412 00:25:48,988 --> 00:25:52,023 in the ocean over time. 413 00:25:52,024 --> 00:25:53,992 Large commercial shipping 414 00:25:53,993 --> 00:25:56,567 has kind of a rumbling like a distant, 415 00:25:56,568 --> 00:26:01,506 uh, thunderstorm all the time. 416 00:26:01,507 --> 00:26:04,209 When I was in the Navy, that was just a fact of life 417 00:26:04,210 --> 00:26:07,045 in the '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s 418 00:26:07,046 --> 00:26:09,414 and even today as it... 419 00:26:09,415 --> 00:26:11,983 The noise environment in the ocean 420 00:26:11,984 --> 00:26:14,419 is doubling every 10 years. 421 00:26:20,592 --> 00:26:23,194 There's different ways that sounds can affect animals. 422 00:26:23,195 --> 00:26:25,997 I mean, there's that underlying ambient noise level 423 00:26:25,998 --> 00:26:28,199 that's rising and rising and rising that interferes 424 00:26:28,200 --> 00:26:32,704 with communication and their movement patterns. 425 00:26:32,705 --> 00:26:34,605 And then there's the more acute, 426 00:26:34,606 --> 00:26:36,875 kind of, traumatic impact of sound. 427 00:26:36,876 --> 00:26:39,577 And that's causing physical damage 428 00:26:39,578 --> 00:26:42,413 or just a really strong behavioral response. 429 00:26:42,414 --> 00:26:45,383 It's fight or flight. 430 00:26:45,384 --> 00:26:46,718 Basically, all my professional life, 431 00:26:46,719 --> 00:26:49,654 I've been responding to marine mammal strandings, 432 00:26:49,655 --> 00:26:52,057 Dolphins, whales and seals. 433 00:26:52,058 --> 00:26:53,992 Sometimes, when we think of a mass stranding, 434 00:26:53,993 --> 00:26:55,126 it's not much animals 435 00:26:55,127 --> 00:26:56,367 throwing themselves on the beach, 436 00:26:56,368 --> 00:26:59,304 but being out of habitat. 437 00:26:59,305 --> 00:27:03,174 One example is in Madagascar in 2008. 438 00:27:03,175 --> 00:27:04,475 As we flew in, 439 00:27:04,476 --> 00:27:06,912 going into this very small, very rural area, 440 00:27:06,913 --> 00:27:09,680 we asked the pilot if he would do a tour. 441 00:27:09,681 --> 00:27:13,384 We had been told there were 100 to 200 melon‐headed whales 442 00:27:13,385 --> 00:27:14,853 in an estuary. 443 00:27:14,854 --> 00:27:19,090 They were 65 kilometers away from the open ocean. 444 00:27:19,091 --> 00:27:20,258 And I think our hearts fell 445 00:27:20,259 --> 00:27:21,692 at that point because we looked at it. 446 00:27:21,693 --> 00:27:23,662 And we said, "it's a huge distance to go." 447 00:27:29,135 --> 00:27:32,270 Most of the animals were in pretty tough shape. 448 00:27:32,271 --> 00:27:34,405 They looked thin, dehydrated. 449 00:27:34,406 --> 00:27:36,742 These are animals that probably were stranding 450 00:27:36,743 --> 00:27:39,044 at some point during the day, getting sunburned, 451 00:27:39,045 --> 00:27:40,879 abrasions, like, cuts and bruises 452 00:27:40,880 --> 00:27:42,915 from being up in the mangrove swamps. 453 00:27:48,487 --> 00:27:50,388 We herd the whales 454 00:27:50,389 --> 00:27:52,390 just like, uh, like how we would herd cattle. 455 00:27:52,391 --> 00:27:54,292 We... we move boats the way 456 00:27:54,293 --> 00:27:58,469 you would ride a horse behind cattle. 457 00:27:58,470 --> 00:28:00,238 One right there. 458 00:28:00,239 --> 00:28:05,744 Trying to move these animals very slowly out into open water. 459 00:28:05,745 --> 00:28:07,545 As the day would wear on, 460 00:28:07,546 --> 00:28:08,947 you could just see them deteriorating. 461 00:28:08,948 --> 00:28:11,382 They were becoming slower, less responsive 462 00:28:11,383 --> 00:28:13,351 to what we were trying to do. 463 00:28:13,352 --> 00:28:16,422 In the end, we probably saved a handful of whales. 464 00:28:18,690 --> 00:28:20,259 Most of them died. 465 00:28:22,294 --> 00:28:23,795 And then our job was to go in 466 00:28:23,796 --> 00:28:25,965 and figure out why they were there. 467 00:28:30,139 --> 00:28:32,540 In the end, we probably saved a handful of whales. 468 00:28:33,141 --> 00:28:35,809 Most of them died. 469 00:28:36,010 --> 00:28:37,144 And then our job was to go in 470 00:28:37,145 --> 00:28:39,146 and figure out why they were there. 471 00:28:39,147 --> 00:28:40,548 These animals weren't sick. 472 00:28:40,549 --> 00:28:41,849 They weren't injured. 473 00:28:41,850 --> 00:28:45,419 We ruled out the things that we knew it wasn't. 474 00:28:45,420 --> 00:28:48,221 And the only smoking gun left 475 00:28:48,222 --> 00:28:51,358 was this oil and gas exploration work 476 00:28:51,359 --> 00:28:53,233 being done offshore that coincided 477 00:28:53,234 --> 00:28:57,337 in time and location with this event. 478 00:28:57,338 --> 00:28:58,506 Prospecting teams, 479 00:28:58,507 --> 00:29:01,174 commissioned by an Exxonmobil subsidiary, 480 00:29:01,175 --> 00:29:03,877 were hunting for oil off the coast of Madagascar, 481 00:29:03,878 --> 00:29:06,146 near the mouth of the river. 482 00:29:06,147 --> 00:29:09,350 They were using a special industrial echo sounder 483 00:29:09,351 --> 00:29:11,719 that emits sound waves to map the sea floor. 484 00:29:14,155 --> 00:29:16,557 Exxonmobil stopped all of the work that they were doing. 485 00:29:16,558 --> 00:29:20,328 And they provided volumes of data. 486 00:29:20,329 --> 00:29:22,663 When I was reading through all of it, one thing caught my eye. 487 00:29:22,664 --> 00:29:25,366 And it was a series of satellite photographs 488 00:29:25,367 --> 00:29:26,600 of this region. 489 00:29:26,601 --> 00:29:30,271 And they were claiming these images showed 490 00:29:30,272 --> 00:29:32,473 that there were animals stranded prior to the work 491 00:29:32,474 --> 00:29:35,676 that they were doing offshore, so they couldn't have caused it. 492 00:29:35,677 --> 00:29:37,878 In the images, there were these dark objects 493 00:29:37,879 --> 00:29:41,014 lined up perpendicular to the water. 494 00:29:41,015 --> 00:29:42,916 And they were claiming 495 00:29:42,917 --> 00:29:44,785 that these were all whales that had stranded. 496 00:29:44,786 --> 00:29:46,587 And I'm looking at 'em, like... I've been doing strandings 497 00:29:46,588 --> 00:29:47,788 for almost 20 years. 498 00:29:47,789 --> 00:29:49,757 And I've never seen animals beach themselves 499 00:29:49,758 --> 00:29:53,701 in such a perfect pattern. 500 00:29:53,702 --> 00:29:55,404 And I was like, "those are boats." 501 00:29:57,406 --> 00:30:00,107 Those are dugout canoes used by local fishermen. 502 00:30:00,108 --> 00:30:02,243 That was the moment that... That I got really angry. 503 00:30:02,244 --> 00:30:03,844 And I was, like, "you know, now you're just... 504 00:30:03,845 --> 00:30:06,046 There's no way you can believe that." 505 00:30:06,047 --> 00:30:07,481 They were throwing everything at us 506 00:30:07,482 --> 00:30:08,516 to say it couldn't have been us. 507 00:30:08,517 --> 00:30:10,318 And I looked at that and I said, "no. 508 00:30:10,319 --> 00:30:12,786 There's no way." 509 00:30:12,787 --> 00:30:15,456 An independent scientific review panel 510 00:30:15,457 --> 00:30:19,026 came to the same conclusion as Moore and her team. 511 00:30:19,027 --> 00:30:21,862 The whales were most likely trying to escape the noise 512 00:30:21,863 --> 00:30:24,098 of the industrial echo sounder. 513 00:30:27,902 --> 00:30:30,804 But fossil fuel companies are doing much more 514 00:30:30,805 --> 00:30:34,775 than just mapping the ocean with waves of sound. 515 00:30:34,776 --> 00:30:36,444 More and more and more, what you're seeing 516 00:30:36,445 --> 00:30:41,515 is deep ocean prospecting for oil and gas. 517 00:30:41,516 --> 00:30:44,117 So the modern form of dynamite 518 00:30:44,118 --> 00:30:47,556 is found in the form of airguns... 519 00:30:54,669 --> 00:30:58,338 Most of which goes vertically down into the ocean. 520 00:30:58,339 --> 00:31:00,841 It reflects off the Earth's crust. 521 00:31:00,842 --> 00:31:03,711 And then you create an image of the composition of the Earth, 522 00:31:03,712 --> 00:31:06,313 and you search for oil and gas. 523 00:31:06,314 --> 00:31:08,348 And then you have sets of them, 524 00:31:08,349 --> 00:31:10,451 10, 20, 30, 40 of them in a... 525 00:31:10,452 --> 00:31:11,652 What's called an array. 526 00:31:11,653 --> 00:31:13,787 It's a big matrix of them behind a ship. 527 00:31:13,788 --> 00:31:16,957 And they all explode simultaneously. 528 00:31:16,958 --> 00:31:20,060 And there are multiple surveys, all setting off these charges 529 00:31:20,061 --> 00:31:21,929 at a regular rate of 10 seconds 530 00:31:21,930 --> 00:31:23,363 or 12 seconds. 531 00:31:23,364 --> 00:31:26,700 And the survey goes on for months at a time. 532 00:31:26,701 --> 00:31:28,436 If you were listening in the ocean, 533 00:31:28,437 --> 00:31:30,871 you could hear the regular explosions of these sounds 534 00:31:30,872 --> 00:31:33,173 coming from Africa, South America, 535 00:31:33,174 --> 00:31:35,342 Great Britain, Canada. 536 00:31:35,343 --> 00:31:41,014 And now it's also invading into the Arctic. 537 00:31:41,015 --> 00:31:42,483 Airguns have been shown to have 538 00:31:42,484 --> 00:31:46,286 an enormous environmental footprint. 539 00:31:46,287 --> 00:31:48,989 In baleen whales, the great whales, 540 00:31:48,990 --> 00:31:51,925 they have been shown to silence animals. 541 00:31:51,926 --> 00:31:55,469 They've been shown to cause animals to flee, uh, 542 00:31:55,470 --> 00:31:59,206 large areas of habitat. 543 00:31:59,207 --> 00:32:02,175 The areas we're talking about are enormous... in some cases, 544 00:32:02,176 --> 00:32:03,877 documented over literally 545 00:32:03,878 --> 00:32:06,614 hundreds of thousands of... of square miles. 546 00:32:14,088 --> 00:32:18,125 These companies are able to take resources 547 00:32:18,126 --> 00:32:20,360 from the global commons... 548 00:32:20,361 --> 00:32:22,630 Hydrocarbons, in this case... 549 00:32:22,631 --> 00:32:24,632 And exploit those 550 00:32:24,633 --> 00:32:30,871 and damage the ocean ecosystem without cost. 551 00:32:30,872 --> 00:32:34,876 That, to me, is intolerable. 552 00:32:39,080 --> 00:32:42,115 The sound of seismic prospecting for oil and gas 553 00:32:42,116 --> 00:32:44,552 is changing life in the oceans. 554 00:32:44,553 --> 00:32:46,319 But it's also changing life for people 555 00:32:46,320 --> 00:32:49,458 who depend on the oceans, living on land. 556 00:32:52,093 --> 00:32:55,068 This coast has made 557 00:32:55,069 --> 00:32:59,973 thousands of generations able to survive. 558 00:32:59,974 --> 00:33:05,413 All my relatives before me lived from this. 559 00:33:05,414 --> 00:33:08,082 I've been a fisherman for many years. 560 00:33:18,159 --> 00:33:21,962 What is happening now is a disaster to us. 561 00:33:21,963 --> 00:33:26,967 Oil industry is hunting oil and gas on our fishing grounds. 562 00:33:29,037 --> 00:33:32,105 Catches immediately were reduced 563 00:33:32,106 --> 00:33:35,075 by 60 percent. 564 00:33:35,076 --> 00:33:36,844 This was massive. 565 00:33:36,845 --> 00:33:39,480 And this was clearly the seismic shootings, 566 00:33:39,481 --> 00:33:41,682 the blastings. 567 00:33:41,683 --> 00:33:45,385 Then, after some time, not coming back... 568 00:33:45,386 --> 00:33:47,855 It's not coming back. Why is that so? 569 00:33:47,856 --> 00:33:48,922 It should come back 570 00:33:48,923 --> 00:33:51,592 if everything was normal in the sea. 571 00:33:51,593 --> 00:33:54,101 If this is going to... to go on, 572 00:33:54,102 --> 00:33:56,269 those blastings in the sea, 573 00:33:56,270 --> 00:33:58,472 in all the world's sea, 574 00:33:58,473 --> 00:34:00,508 we are going to kill ourselves in the end. 575 00:34:00,509 --> 00:34:03,944 Because we are killing our food. 576 00:34:03,945 --> 00:34:06,179 This is happening all around... around the world. 577 00:34:06,180 --> 00:34:08,682 We know it. But we... 578 00:34:08,683 --> 00:34:11,853 It seems like we are not able to do anything about it. 579 00:34:13,325 --> 00:34:14,726 We've been successful before 580 00:34:15,127 --> 00:34:17,161 in acting to protect the health of the oceans 581 00:34:17,762 --> 00:34:20,764 and the largest animals on Earth. 582 00:34:20,965 --> 00:34:23,366 There was a time when the oil of whales 583 00:34:23,367 --> 00:34:27,570 was the natural resource used to fuel our world. 584 00:34:27,571 --> 00:34:29,973 The great whales were literally pushed 585 00:34:29,974 --> 00:34:31,908 to the brink of extinction 586 00:34:31,909 --> 00:34:33,744 when everything was fair game. 587 00:34:33,745 --> 00:34:35,646 It was a total horror story. 588 00:34:35,847 --> 00:34:38,314 What happened in the early 20th century 589 00:34:38,315 --> 00:34:41,151 is that that practice became industrialized. 590 00:34:41,152 --> 00:34:44,554 Whalers started using large factory ships. 591 00:34:44,555 --> 00:34:48,491 And they began decimating populations. 592 00:34:48,492 --> 00:34:50,766 The consequences of human consumption 593 00:34:50,767 --> 00:34:53,103 were apparent to legendary oceanographer 594 00:34:53,104 --> 00:34:56,572 Jacques Cousteau, who battled against commercial whaling. 595 00:34:56,573 --> 00:34:59,675 Most countries agreed to stop whaling in the 1980s, 596 00:34:59,676 --> 00:35:03,479 and some whale populations have rebounded since then. 597 00:35:03,480 --> 00:35:07,117 Jacques' son, Jean‐Michel, driven by a similar passion 598 00:35:07,118 --> 00:35:09,953 for the oceans and the largest animals on Earth, 599 00:35:09,954 --> 00:35:12,256 continues his father's legacy. 600 00:35:14,859 --> 00:35:16,359 My father, when I was a kid, 601 00:35:16,360 --> 00:35:18,361 created a movie, very well‐known, 602 00:35:18,362 --> 00:35:22,198 which has put the ocean in everybody's home, 603 00:35:22,199 --> 00:35:24,101 called "the silent world." 604 00:35:30,707 --> 00:35:32,575 Well, it was pretty silent then. 605 00:35:32,576 --> 00:35:36,246 The big difference between the past and today 606 00:35:36,247 --> 00:35:40,016 is that we've created a lot of noise. 607 00:35:40,017 --> 00:35:43,487 I wish we were making music, but we're not. 608 00:35:45,289 --> 00:35:46,756 When you're in a place 609 00:35:46,757 --> 00:35:49,525 where there may be whales and dolphins, 610 00:35:49,526 --> 00:35:51,968 put a mask on with a snorkel. 611 00:35:51,969 --> 00:35:55,305 Go in 5 feet of water 612 00:35:55,306 --> 00:35:58,741 and close your eyes and listen. 613 00:36:01,445 --> 00:36:03,247 It's fascinating. 614 00:36:06,483 --> 00:36:11,721 My first real encounter with a whale was in Patagonia. 615 00:36:11,722 --> 00:36:15,258 The first time I saw a really, really friendly humpback whale 616 00:36:15,259 --> 00:36:17,127 was at silver bank, Dominican Republic. 617 00:36:17,128 --> 00:36:21,797 It was three humpback whales in Hawaii. 618 00:36:21,798 --> 00:36:24,868 When we first came to Hanson island, 619 00:36:24,869 --> 00:36:26,702 we brought a little kayak along with us. 620 00:36:26,703 --> 00:36:30,073 And I started paddling around with the whales 621 00:36:30,074 --> 00:36:32,843 to see if I could understand more about them. 622 00:36:32,844 --> 00:36:35,812 We had two guys onboard. 623 00:36:35,813 --> 00:36:38,348 They were just, sort of, like, space cadets. 624 00:36:38,349 --> 00:36:41,117 One of 'em was a... a Vietnam vet 625 00:36:41,118 --> 00:36:43,753 that had been shot I don't know how many times. 626 00:36:43,754 --> 00:36:45,321 And had... every bone in his body 627 00:36:45,322 --> 00:36:47,924 had some kinda metal plate or shrapnel. 628 00:36:47,925 --> 00:36:49,926 Anyway, he just wanted to see a whale, you know? 629 00:36:49,927 --> 00:36:51,634 And we're telling him, "well, you're on the wrong trip, guy. 630 00:36:51,635 --> 00:36:53,202 We're not gonna get near one." 631 00:36:53,203 --> 00:36:55,972 Big fog bank came in and surrounded me. 632 00:36:55,973 --> 00:36:58,507 And I got totally lost. 633 00:36:58,508 --> 00:36:59,775 I didn't know what to do. 634 00:36:59,776 --> 00:37:01,110 I didn't know where the whales were. 635 00:37:01,111 --> 00:37:02,411 I didn't know where I was. 636 00:37:02,412 --> 00:37:05,314 The current was taking me. 637 00:37:05,315 --> 00:37:06,850 I had my flute onboard. 638 00:37:06,851 --> 00:37:09,385 And I picked up my flute and started play, 639 00:37:09,386 --> 00:37:11,387 probably to calm me down. 640 00:37:11,388 --> 00:37:14,524 And after a few minutes, uh, the whales came by. 641 00:37:14,525 --> 00:37:16,792 As they were moving, they were coming toward me. 642 00:37:16,793 --> 00:37:18,862 They could've gone somewhere else. 643 00:37:18,863 --> 00:37:20,496 They knew I was there. 644 00:37:20,497 --> 00:37:23,934 And all of a sudden, I felt something under my flippers. 645 00:37:23,935 --> 00:37:25,435 And then the whale came under the boat 646 00:37:25,436 --> 00:37:27,237 and the first mate was freaking out, 647 00:37:27,238 --> 00:37:29,105 like they're all gonna die. 648 00:37:29,106 --> 00:37:31,975 And just lifted me out of the water. 649 00:37:31,976 --> 00:37:35,145 Whale lifted the boat up on its back and, you know, 650 00:37:35,146 --> 00:37:36,679 it was clear out of the water. 651 00:37:36,680 --> 00:37:38,648 I put down my flute and picked up the paddle 652 00:37:38,649 --> 00:37:40,550 and started following them. 653 00:37:40,551 --> 00:37:43,820 And, uh, after a little while, I got lost again. 654 00:37:43,821 --> 00:37:46,122 So I stopped paddling and picked up my flute 655 00:37:46,123 --> 00:37:47,790 and started playing it. 656 00:37:47,791 --> 00:37:49,867 And they came back around me again. 657 00:37:56,140 --> 00:37:59,509 And I dove down, 658 00:37:59,510 --> 00:38:00,911 and I looked her in the eye. 659 00:38:00,912 --> 00:38:02,979 We were looking at each other. 660 00:38:02,980 --> 00:38:05,681 When you look in the eyes of a whale, uh, 661 00:38:05,682 --> 00:38:07,717 they're actually looking... 662 00:38:07,718 --> 00:38:10,453 They're seeing your soul, you know? 663 00:38:10,454 --> 00:38:13,624 And if you're perceptive, you'll see their soul. 664 00:38:19,730 --> 00:38:21,764 And I reached out and touched her. 665 00:38:21,765 --> 00:38:23,733 I could have touched them. 666 00:38:23,734 --> 00:38:27,838 Took its flipper, and just... 667 00:38:27,839 --> 00:38:30,573 Laid it on the head of this guy 668 00:38:30,574 --> 00:38:33,409 from... you know, the guy that was all shot up. 669 00:38:33,410 --> 00:38:34,777 You know, he was just so excited. 670 00:38:34,778 --> 00:38:35,778 He was sitting there playing 671 00:38:35,779 --> 00:38:37,580 with the barnacles and stuff on it. 672 00:38:37,581 --> 00:38:39,682 And... and the first mate was thinking, 673 00:38:39,683 --> 00:38:42,318 well, he's gonna get his head chopped off. 674 00:38:42,319 --> 00:38:46,289 When you are little wee, wee diver there, 675 00:38:46,290 --> 00:38:48,324 they know you're there. 676 00:38:48,325 --> 00:38:51,935 They flip them and fold them back. 677 00:38:51,936 --> 00:38:56,907 Because they're totally aware of your presence. 678 00:38:56,908 --> 00:38:59,010 And they don't wanna hurt you. 679 00:39:01,345 --> 00:39:03,980 Finally, uh, I came to an island 680 00:39:03,981 --> 00:39:05,381 that loomed up out of the fog, 681 00:39:05,382 --> 00:39:08,551 and landed and waited until the fog cleared. 682 00:39:08,552 --> 00:39:10,987 And I would say, one of the... 683 00:39:10,988 --> 00:39:13,857 One of the profound experiences I had... 684 00:39:13,858 --> 00:39:16,059 To me, these are some of the most, uh, 685 00:39:16,060 --> 00:39:18,394 emotional experiences I've had. 686 00:39:18,395 --> 00:39:19,830 That was it. I was in love. 687 00:39:19,831 --> 00:39:21,797 Right? It was... that was it. 688 00:39:31,909 --> 00:39:33,409 I was listening to the noise 689 00:39:33,410 --> 00:39:36,246 that sea mammals and fish are all subjected to, 690 00:39:36,247 --> 00:39:37,680 which was painful to me. 691 00:39:37,681 --> 00:39:40,783 I... I can see that it would... it would cause a... 692 00:39:40,784 --> 00:39:43,553 A psychosis, you know? 693 00:39:43,554 --> 00:39:45,356 Day after day... 694 00:39:48,159 --> 00:39:51,802 Hearing really developed as an animal detection system, 695 00:39:51,803 --> 00:39:56,172 the primary means of establishing an alert 696 00:39:56,173 --> 00:39:58,508 that you had to get away, get away quickly. 697 00:39:58,509 --> 00:40:01,477 Because really, it was a matter of flight or hide is... 698 00:40:01,478 --> 00:40:03,980 Were your only modes of survival. 699 00:40:03,981 --> 00:40:08,151 Our system's stress in response to noise 700 00:40:08,152 --> 00:40:11,554 comes from this environmentally animal necessity 701 00:40:11,555 --> 00:40:12,989 of avoiding a threat. 702 00:40:12,990 --> 00:40:16,993 So we hear sirens on the street... 703 00:40:16,994 --> 00:40:18,862 Every one of those sirens, it can be shown, 704 00:40:18,863 --> 00:40:21,397 you're going to get some elevation in heart rate, 705 00:40:21,398 --> 00:40:25,035 some vasoconstriction, release of stress hormones. 706 00:40:25,036 --> 00:40:28,304 All of these different stress markers happen to you. 707 00:40:28,305 --> 00:40:33,343 So we're getting this barrage of stress 708 00:40:33,344 --> 00:40:35,045 even when we don't perceive it as such. 709 00:40:35,046 --> 00:40:37,180 If you've ever been 710 00:40:37,181 --> 00:40:39,515 in an incredibly loud club 711 00:40:39,516 --> 00:40:41,251 or a loud party or a loud restaurant, 712 00:40:41,252 --> 00:40:42,652 and there was a moment when you actually 713 00:40:42,653 --> 00:40:44,988 felt vertigo and nausea 714 00:40:44,989 --> 00:40:46,289 because you didn't think 715 00:40:46,290 --> 00:40:48,424 that you could survive there another moment, 716 00:40:48,425 --> 00:40:50,167 and you burst out the door... 717 00:40:53,938 --> 00:40:55,939 Imagine what it is for these marine species 718 00:40:55,940 --> 00:40:58,875 that have no door to pass through to get away. 719 00:40:58,876 --> 00:41:00,744 There's nowhere to go. 720 00:41:06,783 --> 00:41:09,319 Few years ago, there were a group of researchers 721 00:41:09,320 --> 00:41:11,254 who had been taking fecal samples 722 00:41:11,255 --> 00:41:14,257 of North Atlantic right whales. 723 00:41:14,258 --> 00:41:16,759 They saw something really funny 724 00:41:16,760 --> 00:41:20,063 in their data taken from 2001. 725 00:41:20,064 --> 00:41:24,701 Those fecal samples registered fewer and fewer stress hormones. 726 00:41:26,203 --> 00:41:27,737 They looked more closely 727 00:41:27,738 --> 00:41:30,874 and they found that their samples 728 00:41:30,875 --> 00:41:32,775 seemed to turn around at a particular date. 729 00:41:32,776 --> 00:41:40,217 And that was September 11th. 730 00:41:44,758 --> 00:41:46,124 After September 11th, 731 00:41:46,125 --> 00:41:49,268 there was a halt to so much of shipping traffic. 732 00:41:49,269 --> 00:41:52,238 And that fall in shipping traffic 733 00:41:52,239 --> 00:41:57,175 seemed to correlate with a dramatic fall 734 00:41:57,176 --> 00:41:59,312 in stress hormones in right whales. 735 00:41:59,313 --> 00:42:01,780 They didn't see this in any other year. 736 00:42:01,781 --> 00:42:04,850 There's a direct, significant correlation 737 00:42:04,851 --> 00:42:07,520 between the amount of ship noise 738 00:42:07,521 --> 00:42:08,687 and the physiology 739 00:42:08,688 --> 00:42:13,058 and the stress levels in these animals. 740 00:42:13,059 --> 00:42:15,828 It's a devastating finding. 741 00:42:15,829 --> 00:42:19,031 It's shocking because it's so measurable, 742 00:42:19,032 --> 00:42:21,801 what was found in the wake of the attacks. 743 00:42:27,274 --> 00:42:29,742 One of the first things they teach you at, 744 00:42:29,743 --> 00:42:31,677 uh, the naval officer academy 745 00:42:31,678 --> 00:42:34,880 is he who rules the ocean, 746 00:42:34,881 --> 00:42:37,883 rules the world. 747 00:42:37,884 --> 00:42:39,719 And it's true. 748 00:42:43,156 --> 00:42:46,158 I talked a friend into going for a flight 749 00:42:46,159 --> 00:42:48,634 the following morning of the stranding. 750 00:42:48,635 --> 00:42:52,104 We searched around and found more specimens. 751 00:42:52,105 --> 00:42:55,808 But we also saw military ships, 752 00:42:55,809 --> 00:42:57,210 U.S. Navy destroyer 753 00:42:57,211 --> 00:43:00,513 and some other warships. 754 00:43:00,514 --> 00:43:03,917 So then I just put the two and two together. 755 00:43:06,786 --> 00:43:09,288 The missing piece of the puzzle for Ken balcomb 756 00:43:09,289 --> 00:43:11,023 was the U. S. Navy, 757 00:43:11,024 --> 00:43:12,658 an institution he had served in 758 00:43:12,659 --> 00:43:16,462 with distinction during his early career. 759 00:43:16,463 --> 00:43:19,298 The warships were bouncing their sonars 760 00:43:19,299 --> 00:43:23,136 with very high intensity and frequency sound. 761 00:43:26,806 --> 00:43:31,109 A screeching tone is hard to listen to. 762 00:43:31,110 --> 00:43:35,248 It's just overpowering. 763 00:43:35,249 --> 00:43:37,316 I can't imagine anything more absurd 764 00:43:37,317 --> 00:43:41,321 than dropping acoustic bombs in downtown cities. 765 00:43:42,756 --> 00:43:44,624 It's... it's equivalent. 766 00:43:46,760 --> 00:43:48,901 Naval warships use a technique 767 00:43:48,902 --> 00:43:51,169 that mimics the natural abilities 768 00:43:51,170 --> 00:43:53,171 of whales and dolphins. 769 00:43:53,172 --> 00:43:56,275 They'll send out a click 770 00:43:56,276 --> 00:43:58,977 and listen for the echo off a target, 771 00:43:58,978 --> 00:44:00,313 and know how far away it is 772 00:44:00,314 --> 00:44:04,016 and how fast it's moving and even what kinda target. 773 00:44:04,017 --> 00:44:06,685 Sonar is the principal submarine detection system 774 00:44:06,686 --> 00:44:07,953 used by the U. S. Navy 775 00:44:07,954 --> 00:44:10,257 and other navies of the world. 776 00:44:13,793 --> 00:44:16,194 Joel Reynolds has spent much of his career 777 00:44:16,195 --> 00:44:19,299 fighting in the courts to protect the oceans. 778 00:44:22,536 --> 00:44:26,439 The Navy developed something called active sonar. 779 00:44:26,440 --> 00:44:28,507 And this is the system that they use to protect 780 00:44:28,508 --> 00:44:32,379 our massive aircraft carriers with 5,000 sailors on them. 781 00:44:35,882 --> 00:44:37,516 In its simplest terms, 782 00:44:37,517 --> 00:44:40,853 it involves generating extremely loud sound underwater 783 00:44:40,854 --> 00:44:42,589 to detect targets. 784 00:44:46,092 --> 00:44:47,900 It's in a sweep. 785 00:44:47,901 --> 00:44:50,636 So when the sweep is pointed right at you, 786 00:44:50,637 --> 00:44:53,539 you get the full intensity of it. 787 00:44:53,540 --> 00:44:57,543 And then, about a minute later, it does it again. 788 00:44:57,544 --> 00:44:59,845 We began to investigate. 789 00:44:59,846 --> 00:45:02,147 We learned that they had no permits. 790 00:45:02,148 --> 00:45:04,417 They'd done no environmental reviews. 791 00:45:04,418 --> 00:45:06,485 There were no safeguards, 792 00:45:06,486 --> 00:45:07,886 uh, built into the program 793 00:45:07,887 --> 00:45:11,224 to protect the marine environment. 794 00:45:11,225 --> 00:45:14,627 The impact of active sonar on whales and dolphins 795 00:45:14,628 --> 00:45:17,530 has been clearly documented in the Bahamas case 796 00:45:17,531 --> 00:45:21,567 and others where animals have been killed. 797 00:45:21,568 --> 00:45:25,170 When biologists have studied their bodies, 798 00:45:25,171 --> 00:45:29,975 they have seen an array of very disturbing pathologies. 799 00:45:29,976 --> 00:45:32,245 Bleeding around the brain, uh, 800 00:45:32,246 --> 00:45:34,247 lesions in organ tissue, 801 00:45:34,248 --> 00:45:36,382 all consistent with, 802 00:45:36,383 --> 00:45:39,586 uh, decompression sickness or the bends. 803 00:45:42,589 --> 00:45:47,092 Divers know that they have to surface gradually, uh, 804 00:45:47,093 --> 00:45:50,002 when they're ending a dive. 805 00:45:50,003 --> 00:45:53,439 Otherwise, nitrogen can build up in the blood 806 00:45:53,440 --> 00:45:57,410 to the point where it damages the body. 807 00:45:57,411 --> 00:45:58,877 That is precisely 808 00:45:58,878 --> 00:46:02,915 what seems to be happening to beaked whales. 809 00:46:02,916 --> 00:46:05,518 They're deep‐water animals, 810 00:46:05,519 --> 00:46:08,487 all of a sudden they just leave the water. 811 00:46:08,488 --> 00:46:10,724 And now they can't decompress. 812 00:46:12,759 --> 00:46:14,827 After the Bahamas strandings occurred, 813 00:46:14,828 --> 00:46:17,330 the Navy denied it was involved. 814 00:46:17,331 --> 00:46:19,432 It took the better part of 2 years 815 00:46:19,433 --> 00:46:21,967 for it to admit culpability. 816 00:46:21,968 --> 00:46:23,536 The chief of naval operations, 817 00:46:23,537 --> 00:46:24,970 the head guy, 818 00:46:24,971 --> 00:46:27,340 was convinced, finally, 819 00:46:27,341 --> 00:46:30,809 that, uh, yeah, that it's their fault. 820 00:46:30,810 --> 00:46:32,579 They did it. 821 00:46:35,982 --> 00:46:37,916 There are many other navies in the world 822 00:46:37,917 --> 00:46:39,985 that use this same kind of technology 823 00:46:39,986 --> 00:46:42,120 to detect submarines. 824 00:46:42,121 --> 00:46:45,391 Many of them follow our lead, of course. 825 00:46:45,392 --> 00:46:49,368 It's a global problem in its truest sense. 826 00:46:49,369 --> 00:46:51,904 Probably the most visible effect 827 00:46:51,905 --> 00:46:53,672 of ocean noise, uh, 828 00:46:53,673 --> 00:46:56,775 has been this series of mass strandings 829 00:46:56,776 --> 00:47:00,313 of whales on the beaches around the world. 830 00:47:00,314 --> 00:47:02,381 Time and again, in the Bahamas, 831 00:47:02,382 --> 00:47:06,118 in the canary islands, off Spain, off Greece, 832 00:47:06,119 --> 00:47:11,590 they have turned up along the coast. 833 00:47:11,591 --> 00:47:14,827 The Navy was acting lawlessly for years, uh, 834 00:47:14,828 --> 00:47:18,564 before we started taking them to court. 835 00:47:18,565 --> 00:47:22,535 It's not an easy thing to... to fight the U. S. Navy. 836 00:47:22,536 --> 00:47:25,170 I think a lot of us look at the Navy 837 00:47:25,171 --> 00:47:27,406 as people acting in the public interest. 838 00:47:27,407 --> 00:47:30,042 And it's a little painful to have to go after them. 839 00:47:30,043 --> 00:47:32,010 But once we did, uh, 840 00:47:32,011 --> 00:47:33,979 they started doing environmental reviews. 841 00:47:33,980 --> 00:47:36,048 They started getting permits. 842 00:47:36,049 --> 00:47:38,050 They started a research program 843 00:47:38,051 --> 00:47:40,986 which is now the largest source 844 00:47:40,987 --> 00:47:45,157 of marine mammal research funds, probably, on the planet. 845 00:47:45,158 --> 00:47:49,802 The trick is to get the Navy to move beyond research. 846 00:47:49,803 --> 00:47:51,404 We're at the point 847 00:47:51,405 --> 00:47:53,372 where we know enough to say 848 00:47:53,373 --> 00:47:55,408 that the Navy has to do more 849 00:47:55,409 --> 00:47:58,411 to reduce harm from its exercises. 850 00:47:58,412 --> 00:48:00,479 We don't believe there's an inconsistency 851 00:48:00,480 --> 00:48:04,317 between defending the United States 852 00:48:04,318 --> 00:48:06,219 and protecting the environment. 853 00:48:06,220 --> 00:48:10,357 Whales and other marine life should not die for practice. 854 00:48:13,327 --> 00:48:15,861 Three years after the Bahamas stranding, 855 00:48:15,862 --> 00:48:17,730 Ken balcomb was watching orcas 856 00:48:17,731 --> 00:48:21,199 from his new home in Washington state. 857 00:48:21,200 --> 00:48:24,270 The ship was about 3 miles out. 858 00:48:24,271 --> 00:48:28,041 It was just, like, deja vu of the Bahamas. 859 00:48:34,083 --> 00:48:36,718 Three years after the Bahamas stranding, 860 00:48:36,719 --> 00:48:38,486 Ken balcomb was watching orcas 861 00:48:38,487 --> 00:48:41,389 from his new home in Washington state. 862 00:48:41,390 --> 00:48:45,400 It was just, like, deja vu of the Bahamas. 863 00:48:45,401 --> 00:48:48,804 Uh, I was just dumbfounded. 864 00:48:48,805 --> 00:48:50,571 Yeah. 865 00:49:02,551 --> 00:49:04,419 Shut the damn thing off. 866 00:49:11,193 --> 00:49:14,395 Before the ship started utilizing its sonar, 867 00:49:14,396 --> 00:49:16,364 the whales were feeding at salmon bank, 868 00:49:16,365 --> 00:49:18,433 south end of this island. 869 00:49:18,434 --> 00:49:20,201 Something very unusual was happening. 870 00:49:20,202 --> 00:49:22,671 All the whales gathered together in groups 871 00:49:22,672 --> 00:49:25,573 and went very close to the shore. 872 00:49:25,574 --> 00:49:27,242 We started seeing every porpoise. 873 00:49:27,243 --> 00:49:29,845 They were all just streaking, 874 00:49:29,846 --> 00:49:32,948 as fast as they could go, away from the sound. 875 00:49:32,949 --> 00:49:37,085 And a minke whale was going away from the sound. 876 00:49:37,086 --> 00:49:39,955 Navy sonar is like an enormous predator. 877 00:49:39,956 --> 00:49:43,925 When whales hear it, some go silent, stop foraging 878 00:49:43,926 --> 00:49:47,035 and abandon their habitat. 879 00:49:47,036 --> 00:49:52,007 Repeated exposure to sonar can harm whole populations. 880 00:49:52,008 --> 00:49:54,876 You didn't have to have a hydrophone to hear the sonar. 881 00:49:54,877 --> 00:49:59,380 It was virtually unbearable for us on the porch. 882 00:49:59,381 --> 00:50:03,484 I can't imagine what it must've been like underwater. 883 00:50:03,485 --> 00:50:06,688 In the following days, 11 porpoises 884 00:50:06,689 --> 00:50:10,458 were found on the beach, dead. 885 00:50:10,459 --> 00:50:13,695 You know, one of the complaints from an admiral was that, 886 00:50:13,696 --> 00:50:17,633 "well, you know, we can't worry about the fish." 887 00:50:17,634 --> 00:50:20,101 Nobody comes in the Navy, that I know of, 888 00:50:20,102 --> 00:50:22,904 to say they wanna hurt a whale. 889 00:50:22,905 --> 00:50:24,773 When I was in the Navy, I had the honor 890 00:50:24,774 --> 00:50:26,708 of commanding 3 warships... 891 00:50:26,709 --> 00:50:28,944 The commodore of 13 warships 892 00:50:28,945 --> 00:50:34,249 and then chief of staff of naval surface forces. 893 00:50:34,250 --> 00:50:38,419 If you know that there is a whale in the area, 894 00:50:38,420 --> 00:50:40,121 unless you're at war, 895 00:50:40,122 --> 00:50:43,224 you're... you're trying to avoid using those sonars. 896 00:50:46,135 --> 00:50:49,304 Mid‐frequency sonar can be pretty loud. 897 00:50:49,305 --> 00:50:53,441 Putting sound in the water can have an impact 898 00:50:53,442 --> 00:50:57,212 upon whales and other mammals that inhabit the ocean. 899 00:50:57,213 --> 00:50:59,815 It's also important to understand 900 00:50:59,816 --> 00:51:03,451 that what the sound is looking for 901 00:51:03,452 --> 00:51:05,621 are a potential enemy 902 00:51:05,622 --> 00:51:08,790 whose intent is to kill sailors 903 00:51:08,791 --> 00:51:11,326 and destroy our ships. 904 00:51:11,327 --> 00:51:12,527 What's at stake 905 00:51:12,528 --> 00:51:15,330 if we are not good at anti‐submarine warfare 906 00:51:15,331 --> 00:51:17,232 is not only the threat 907 00:51:17,233 --> 00:51:19,801 of loss of life of America's sons and daughters 908 00:51:19,802 --> 00:51:21,269 and our friends and allies, 909 00:51:21,270 --> 00:51:24,172 but also those capital ships that we invest in. 910 00:51:24,173 --> 00:51:25,741 Ships are expensive, 911 00:51:25,742 --> 00:51:28,043 and obviously human beings can't be replaced. 912 00:51:28,044 --> 00:51:31,781 So we have to be very good at anti‐submarine warfare. 913 00:51:33,149 --> 00:51:35,516 I don't believe that National Security 914 00:51:35,517 --> 00:51:38,754 and Environmental Protection are inconsistent at all. 915 00:51:38,755 --> 00:51:41,389 I think there has to be an accommodation 916 00:51:41,390 --> 00:51:43,591 between those two principles, 917 00:51:43,592 --> 00:51:46,167 where the Navy can operate in a way 918 00:51:46,168 --> 00:51:49,537 that has the minimal impact upon the environment 919 00:51:49,538 --> 00:51:52,007 and still perform its training 920 00:51:52,008 --> 00:51:54,043 and, if necessary, its mission. 921 00:51:58,280 --> 00:52:02,017 We all value security. 922 00:52:02,018 --> 00:52:05,086 We have to think of security, however, in the broader terms 923 00:52:05,087 --> 00:52:07,856 of what we're doing to our life support system. 924 00:52:07,857 --> 00:52:10,425 And that means considering life in the ocean 925 00:52:10,426 --> 00:52:13,194 as a part of what makes our lives possible. 926 00:52:22,872 --> 00:52:25,440 We can't support the human population, 927 00:52:25,441 --> 00:52:28,376 at the rate we're growing, 928 00:52:28,377 --> 00:52:31,079 with a diminishing ecosystem. 929 00:52:37,687 --> 00:52:39,487 And they're the sentinels of whether or not 930 00:52:39,488 --> 00:52:41,389 it's healthy out there. 931 00:52:41,390 --> 00:52:45,300 Killing 'em off is not sensible. 932 00:52:45,301 --> 00:52:47,703 The typical mode that we all have is status quo. 933 00:52:47,704 --> 00:52:49,871 It's easier, in some ways, not to do anything 934 00:52:49,872 --> 00:52:52,273 than it is do something. 935 00:52:52,274 --> 00:52:54,375 So, we are at this tipping point. 936 00:52:54,376 --> 00:52:57,212 This is a problem that we can solve. 937 00:52:57,213 --> 00:52:59,848 The question is whether we have the political will to solve it. 938 00:52:59,849 --> 00:53:03,518 That's really what it comes down to. 939 00:53:03,519 --> 00:53:06,221 I attended a shipping conference not long ago 940 00:53:06,222 --> 00:53:09,424 where the organizers started the conference by saying, 941 00:53:09,425 --> 00:53:12,293 "if only we knew 50 years ago 942 00:53:12,294 --> 00:53:15,631 what we know today about sound in the ocean, 943 00:53:15,632 --> 00:53:18,033 we could design propellers 944 00:53:18,034 --> 00:53:22,270 that are not only much quieter, but are more efficient." 945 00:53:22,271 --> 00:53:24,640 Designing a quieter ship 946 00:53:24,641 --> 00:53:27,575 will result in increased fuel efficiency, 947 00:53:27,576 --> 00:53:30,578 which is reduced cost to the owner. 948 00:53:30,579 --> 00:53:32,848 We're talking about ships that have fuel costs, 949 00:53:32,849 --> 00:53:34,515 on a per‐vessel basis, 950 00:53:34,516 --> 00:53:36,618 tens of millions of dollars a year. 951 00:53:36,619 --> 00:53:38,954 So, designing more efficient vessels 952 00:53:38,955 --> 00:53:41,289 just makes a whole lot of sense. 953 00:53:41,290 --> 00:53:43,959 It is in the U. S. Navy's best interest 954 00:53:43,960 --> 00:53:47,669 to be as quiet as possible when we operate at sea. 955 00:53:47,670 --> 00:53:49,771 Hull forms are changing dramatically 956 00:53:49,772 --> 00:53:51,873 over the last several decades. 957 00:53:51,874 --> 00:53:53,508 And you can just look out and see 958 00:53:53,509 --> 00:53:56,377 that you have more catamaran‐shaped hulls, 959 00:53:56,378 --> 00:54:00,181 where you have less metal actually in the water. 960 00:54:00,182 --> 00:54:02,117 And so that is reducing the sound 961 00:54:02,118 --> 00:54:03,719 and also reduces the friction, 962 00:54:03,720 --> 00:54:07,588 which means that it's more fuel‐efficient and quieter. 963 00:54:07,589 --> 00:54:11,359 Researchers and Navies have been modifying their ships 964 00:54:11,360 --> 00:54:14,062 to reduce noise for... for years. 965 00:54:14,063 --> 00:54:16,564 Commercial ships can reduce the noise 966 00:54:16,565 --> 00:54:20,035 that they put in the water by some 90 percent. 967 00:54:20,036 --> 00:54:22,838 That's significant. 968 00:54:22,839 --> 00:54:26,642 Another way to reduce the noise is go a little slower. 969 00:54:26,643 --> 00:54:28,910 Chris Clark also advocates 970 00:54:28,911 --> 00:54:30,612 speed limits for cargo ships 971 00:54:30,613 --> 00:54:32,848 as well as rerouting shipping lanes 972 00:54:32,849 --> 00:54:35,416 where they are clearly impacting habitats. 973 00:54:35,417 --> 00:54:38,453 The average waiting time for a ship 974 00:54:38,454 --> 00:54:40,088 when it gets to port, 975 00:54:40,089 --> 00:54:42,724 before it unloads its cargo, 976 00:54:42,725 --> 00:54:44,225 is 3 days. 977 00:54:44,226 --> 00:54:47,535 Wouldn't it make sense to maybe go a little slower 978 00:54:47,536 --> 00:54:50,338 and save billions of dollars in fuel costs? 979 00:54:50,339 --> 00:54:53,208 And then when you get to shore you have a very efficient system 980 00:54:53,209 --> 00:54:55,043 of getting your cargo off the ship, 981 00:54:55,044 --> 00:54:57,613 rather than sitting there for 3 days. 982 00:54:57,614 --> 00:55:01,282 So reducing noise could be a win‐win‐win. 983 00:55:01,283 --> 00:55:05,586 A win for marine mammals having to deal with noise in the ocean. 984 00:55:05,587 --> 00:55:08,056 A win for the climate and for humans 985 00:55:08,057 --> 00:55:09,891 who have to deal with air pollution. 986 00:55:09,892 --> 00:55:11,392 And even a... 987 00:55:11,393 --> 00:55:14,096 A win for industry, saving money over the life of a ship. 988 00:55:19,404 --> 00:55:21,472 In terms of human life, there is a threat 989 00:55:21,473 --> 00:55:25,009 that they have to prepare for and then practice for. 990 00:55:25,010 --> 00:55:27,278 I think they should avoid the problems. 991 00:55:27,279 --> 00:55:29,247 And you avoid 'em by not practicing 992 00:55:29,248 --> 00:55:32,950 in where you know sensitive animals are. 993 00:55:32,951 --> 00:55:35,986 Breeding areas, feeding areas, migratory routes... 994 00:55:35,987 --> 00:55:39,557 When there are animals present, test someplace else. 995 00:55:43,402 --> 00:55:47,005 We are searching harder every day 996 00:55:47,006 --> 00:55:51,075 for more and more oil everywhere. 997 00:55:51,076 --> 00:55:52,843 So if there are... there is a technology 998 00:55:52,844 --> 00:55:54,778 to make it less, uh, 999 00:55:54,779 --> 00:55:57,948 abusive to the... to the Sonic World, 1000 00:55:57,949 --> 00:55:59,583 then we should... We should embrace that, 1001 00:55:59,584 --> 00:56:01,085 no matter what the cost. 1002 00:56:01,086 --> 00:56:03,321 Are there alternative technologies, 1003 00:56:03,322 --> 00:56:06,390 other than setting off a bomb every 9 seconds, 1004 00:56:06,391 --> 00:56:08,459 that are available to us today? 1005 00:56:08,460 --> 00:56:11,229 And the answer is, you bet there are. 1006 00:56:11,230 --> 00:56:15,733 And you can be profoundly quieter than the explosion. 1007 00:56:15,734 --> 00:56:17,935 For example, there's an emerging technology 1008 00:56:17,936 --> 00:56:21,872 called marine vibroseis that doesn't produce an explosion. 1009 00:56:21,873 --> 00:56:25,243 It produces a continuous, very low‐frequency sound 1010 00:56:25,244 --> 00:56:29,247 that is thousands of times less intense and less invasive 1011 00:56:29,248 --> 00:56:31,049 than an explosion. 1012 00:56:31,050 --> 00:56:35,253 And it also produces a much higher resolution image 1013 00:56:35,254 --> 00:56:36,754 of the Earth. 1014 00:56:36,755 --> 00:56:38,256 It won't cure the problem. 1015 00:56:38,257 --> 00:56:39,657 There will still be impacts. 1016 00:56:39,658 --> 00:56:41,800 But it would at least reduce the fever. 1017 00:56:44,436 --> 00:56:46,204 The one good thing about ocean noise 1018 00:56:46,205 --> 00:56:48,572 is that when you stop making noise, 1019 00:56:48,573 --> 00:56:50,575 it goes away. 1020 00:57:02,354 --> 00:57:04,688 I've always believed, from the very beginning 1021 00:57:04,689 --> 00:57:07,658 of my struggle, my fight, that we... 1022 00:57:07,659 --> 00:57:09,461 We are going to win this. 1023 00:57:11,596 --> 00:57:14,432 I have become a grandfather. 1024 00:57:14,433 --> 00:57:18,802 I'm all the time thinking about who is coming behind us. 1025 00:57:18,803 --> 00:57:21,039 Our children, our grandchildren 1026 00:57:21,040 --> 00:57:24,275 and who comes behind them. 1027 00:57:24,276 --> 00:57:26,410 What are we leaving for the next generations? 1028 00:57:26,411 --> 00:57:29,913 Will they survive? 1029 00:57:29,914 --> 00:57:31,482 Things that we could not know, 1030 00:57:31,483 --> 00:57:34,918 going back 50 years ago, now are coming into focus. 1031 00:57:36,319 --> 00:57:39,022 The ocean, through all of human history, 1032 00:57:39,023 --> 00:57:42,493 has made it possible for us to thrive, 1033 00:57:42,494 --> 00:57:45,870 to live, to have a secure future. 1034 00:57:46,071 --> 00:57:47,571 We can't go back. 1035 00:57:47,572 --> 00:57:50,408 But we can make things better going forward. 1036 00:57:50,409 --> 00:57:54,578 This is the time to return the favor. 1037 00:57:54,579 --> 00:57:58,516 My father used to say, "people protect what they love." 1038 00:57:58,517 --> 00:57:59,950 And I kept telling him, 1039 00:57:59,951 --> 00:58:03,454 "how can you protect what you don't understand?" 1040 00:58:03,455 --> 00:58:05,889 And now we're starting to understand. 1041 00:58:05,890 --> 00:58:07,291 And that information, 1042 00:58:07,292 --> 00:58:09,927 we need to bring it everywhere, in every school. 1043 00:58:09,928 --> 00:58:12,764 We need to get the kids out, wet. 1044 00:58:19,738 --> 00:58:22,106 I have a daughter who's 4 1/2, 1045 00:58:22,107 --> 00:58:24,408 and she hasn't seen a whale yet. 1046 00:58:24,409 --> 00:58:26,344 And I wanna make sure that she sees a whale 1047 00:58:26,345 --> 00:58:28,412 and that her kids see whales and their kids 1048 00:58:28,413 --> 00:58:29,680 see whales. 1049 00:58:29,681 --> 00:58:31,849 Oh, my God! 1050 00:58:31,850 --> 00:58:36,787 Oh, my God! 1051 00:58:36,788 --> 00:58:38,756 Look at his belly! Look at the white! 1052 00:58:38,757 --> 00:58:42,666 Wow! Whoa! 1053 00:58:42,667 --> 00:58:44,436 Oh, my God! 1054 00:58:48,240 --> 00:58:50,774 Okay, that might have been one of the greater moments 1055 00:58:50,775 --> 00:58:52,143 of my life. 1056 00:58:52,144 --> 00:58:55,013 There's something incredible about that experience. 1057 00:58:55,014 --> 00:58:57,115 And the planet is not just about us. 1058 00:58:57,116 --> 00:59:00,751 We're... we're one species here. 1059 00:59:00,752 --> 00:59:03,221 And it's incredibly irresponsible for us 1060 00:59:03,222 --> 00:59:06,190 not to be better stewards. 1061 00:59:06,191 --> 00:59:08,592 And it's not about science... Science plays a role in it. 1062 00:59:08,593 --> 00:59:10,261 You use science. 1063 00:59:10,262 --> 00:59:12,363 But it really comes down to, what do we... 1064 00:59:12,364 --> 00:59:13,597 What do we value? 1065 00:59:13,598 --> 00:59:16,201 We value a living ocean. 1066 00:59:19,204 --> 00:59:21,539 We're putting the ocean at risk. 1067 00:59:21,540 --> 00:59:23,174 And if you put the ocean at risk, 1068 00:59:23,175 --> 00:59:25,444 you're putting all of us at risk. 1069 00:59:42,872 --> 00:59:51,760 Resynced and correcred by H@w-to-kiLL @subscene.com