Introduction

Sonar is a useful and important tool for the U.S. Navy, and is strictly necessary for modern submarine warfare to be successful. Marine wildlife, such as whales, is an important part of the environment and the marine life cycle, and it is a common idea that this life needs to be protected. Unfortunately, recent science has uncovered a link between the use of sonar and the detriment or death of nearby marine wildlife. This project will serve to examine both sides of this argument to fully reveal the complex issues contained within. On one side, we will examine the importance of the use of sonar, the necessity of training in its use in areas inhabited by whales, and the measures that are currently being taken to prevent harm to the local wildlife. On the other side, we will examine the many ways that naval sonar interacts with whales, the effects that this sonar has on them, and review studies and expert testimonies on the subject. Although this issue has been legally settled in court, these examinations into the importance and effects of sonar should provide the reader with a more complete understanding of the controversy that eventually led to the court case, and provide a more complete picture which allows the reader to decide and understand if the decision of the court was a fair and appropriate one. After all, the issue is still a relevant one to all of us for as long as sonar continues to be used, and as long as whales still exist in the waters to be potentially affected by the use of it.