September 14, 2012
England, Letters

Noise kills dolphins

North Devon Gazette | www.northdevongazette.co.uk 14 September 2012

I read shocking news this week regarding more than 600 dolphins found dead on a beach in Peru in April due to underwater exploration in relation to acoustic disturbance.

This should be taken very seriously by RWE npower renewables, Nick Harvey, the EU and the public regarding the notorious Atlantic Array project!

I have written to various bodies and organisations on the subject of acoustic noise regarding the “pile driving” when the turbines are driven into the seabed.

One thing is certain – noise kills mammals and fish!

There are no mitigation measures that would safeguard our marine mammals. Noise can burst their eardrums, as a result of which they will not be able to locate food and will die.

This is why RWE’s offshore turbine factory in Germany has been halted. I was appalled to read the statement by Devon County Council in response to the AA whereby they made no mention of the serious effect to our marine mammals and barely mentioned Lundy Island.

I am aware that county councillor Rodney Cann, after a two-day visit to Wales with RWE and others, felt, in an article in this newspaper, that this project was all about jobs.

This is nonsense. More jobs will be lost in the tourist and fishing industries. What price our environment and wildlife?

I am still awaiting a response to my letters to North Devon and Torridge district councils as to whether they support this scheme or not.

More strandings in the last few days are of concern. A pod of 26 pilot whales near St Andrews on the Scottish coast, as well as 17 of a pod of 22 short-finned pilot whales have died on Florida’s Atlantic coast.

The reason for these strandings is not clear. What is clear is that for hundreds of years mankind butchered every species of whale in our oceans to the point of extinction.

We are about to repeat that shameful period in our history under the guise of “saving the planet” with offshore wind turbine factories.

When did collective madness become the accepted norm? Most of us are raised with the belief that man is the most important and intelligent animal on earth. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Joanne Bell

Press officer

Save our Marine Mammals

West Yelland

Barnstaple


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/09/14/noise-kills-dolphins/