Agency fears sonar harm to fish

Navy's study looks at the effect on whales; Fisheries Service says check smaller species

Fish, not just marine mammals, could be harmed by a proposed Navy sonar range off the coast of North Carolina, a federal fishery agency said.

In a response to the Navy's draft environmental study, the National Marine Fisheries Service said it is concerned that the range could hurt a variety of fish species that are popular to catch and eat, and that the Navy hasn't fully analyzed the impact of its exercises. A depleted fishery could in turn affect people in Eastern North Carolina who make a living from commercial fishing and tourists who come to the coast for sport fishing.

"If they are doing acoustic exercises on a routine basis, I think it's possible that fish will avoid that area," said Steve Tulevech, a marine biologist and operations manager for Town Creek Marina in Beaufort. "It could wipe out the recreational and commercial fishing operations and all the stuff that goes along with that -- sale of hotel rooms, bait, tackle and restaurants that depend on that tourism."

A 660-square-mile area of ocean off the North Carolina coast is the Navy's preferred site for its training range, which would teach sailors and pilots to use sonar to track submarines. The surveillance system uses pulses of sound bounced off submerged objects to pinpoint and track subs. Other sites in contention for the range are off Virginia and Florida.

The Navy's draft study said the range would affect the behavior of whales but would have minimal effect on fish.

Tulevech said the proposed range would be near the Swansboro hole and other areas that have rock outcroppings that attract species sought by commercial fishermen.

Fishing interests already are facing hardships. North Carolina's commercial fishing harvest of 79 million pounds in 2005 was the lowest on record, the state Division of Marine Fisheries said last week. The decline continues a trend that began in 1997, state officials said.

"I've got very serious concerns about how it could affect fishing off the North Carolina coast, not just mammals but commercial and recreational fishing," said Randy Ramsey, immediate past president of the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. The annual tournament, held in June, has a total prize purse of more than $1 million and is one of the biggest marlin tournaments on the East Coast.

"The grounds where they are planning to put this are very rich grounds that support snapper and grouper fishery," Ramsey said.

Certain species of fish, including silver perch that swim in North Carolina waters, use a chorus of clicks and grunts during spawning. Scientific study suggests that the fish may not spawn when they encounter sonar, which is louder than the sounds the fish themselves produce.

"We are concerned the range will utilize mid-range sonar with sound broadcast levels that could influence the behavior and spawning activities of fishes," said Miles Croom, assistant regional administrator for habitat conservation in the National Marine Fisheries Service southeast office.

In addition, the construction of the range, which would involve a grid of underwater microphones and cables buried in the sea floor, could disturb the hard reefs favored by grouper, flounder and black sea bass.

State fisheries officials said deep sea coral reefs are south of Cape Lookout in the vicinity of the proposed site, contradicting the Navy study saying there were none. The corals are old, slow growing and vulnerable to being destroyed by laying cables. They said disruption of fish communities linked to bottom habitats was the issue.

Jim Brantley, a spokesman for Fleet Forces Command in Norfolk, said the Navy though when it published the draft study that the range would have minimal effect on fish. Brantley said the Navy is having talks with National Marine Fisheries to get more detail about their concerns.

"If more information comes forward that persuades us we need to do something different, we'll do something different," Brantley said. "We're looking for more fin fish information so we can do it right. We don't want to be a bad neighbor."

He said Navy officials were discussing whether to do a supplemental draft environmental study -- a step that North Carolina environmental officials have urged.

Michelle Duval, a scientist with Environmental Defense, an advocacy group, said the National Marine Fisheries comments illustrate that the potential impacts of the range go beyond whales.

"It's important to look below the top of the food chain," Duval said. "These are public trust waters. Their health is critical to the economic well-being of the surrounding communities. If it impacts the fish, it will impact the people."

The Fisheries Service comments echo concerns raised by state Marine Fisheries officials and fishing groups.

Sean McKeon, executive director of the N.C. Fisheries Association, which represents commercial fishermen, said that the group was troubled by shortcomings in the Navy study and said it could interfere with the fishermen's access to fishing grounds.

In written comments on the Navy study, McKeon said, "The jury seems to be out on whether or not significant impact will occur, how long it will last, and what long-term effects will remain and, quite possibility, affect fishing for years to come."