Petition: Tell the Navy to Stop Killing Marine Animals With Test Bombs

At the end of June, the US Navy shared a video of the massive explosion that followed their detonation of a 40,000-pound bomb off the coast of Florida, Newsweek reported. While some were in awe of the event, many voiced their concern for the wildlife that was likely affected by this bomb test.

Every year, the navy does thousands of these Full Ship Shock Trials (FSST) to ensure their ships are strong and ready for war. This test, which was much larger than their typical tests, was so powerful that it registered as a 3.9 magnitude earthquake off of Flordia’s coast. Sadly, that could have terrible impacts on the local marine life.

According to the Guardian, these shock tests have the potential to kill and injure countless marine animals within a six-mile radius. However, this one was bigger than usual and the Navy doesn’t even employ trained biologists to monitor marine mammals that could be affected by their test bombs. As a result, it is especially hard for scientists to estimate the impact that it had on the underwater ecosystem.

According to what Lt. Cmdr. Desiree Frame, one of the spokespeople for this ship, told DefenseNews, the test “complies with environmental mitigation requirements, respecting known migration patterns of marine life in the test area.” However, experts say that these waters are usually full of whales and dolphins during this time of the year. Speaking to The Gaurdian, Michael Jasny, the director of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s (NRDC) Marine Mammal Protection Project, said, “We don’t know how conscientiously the blast site was chosen, and we don’t know how effective the monitoring was before the detonation, so it’s hard to put a great deal of faith in the safety of marine life.” He also emphasized that some of the surviving animals who survive rely on echolocation may never be able to communicate with their families again.

Sign this petition to demand that the United States Navy stop needlessly killing marine animals with these dangerous test bombs.

To continue speaking up, sign these other petitions as well:

• Protect Environment to Stop “Sea Snot” From Killing Marine Life
• Hundreds of Manatees Have Died in 2021. Urge Florida to Protect the Ocean!
• Ban Single-Use Plastics to Save Our Oceans and Marine Animals

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