Navy Sonar Testing Threatens Whales, Fisheries, and Tribal Waters

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Why this matters

The U.S. Navy is proposing to continue large-scale sonar and explosives testing off the West Coast, including offshore Northern California, despite overwhelming scientific evidence that these activities harm whales, fisheries, and coastal communities.

EPIC has a long history of opposing this program, submitting formal comments in 2014 and 2019 alongside Tribes, fishermen, and conservation groups.

High-intensity mid-frequency sonar has been linked to mass whale strandings, hearing loss, disrupted feeding, and displacement from critical habitat. Explosives testing kills fish outright and damages essential fish habitat relied upon by Tribes and fishing communities.

EPIC is urging the Navy to withdraw its current proposal and prepare a lawful environmental review that considers real alternatives and protects marine life.

Steps to Take

Step 1

Substantive comments will be considered under NEPA and pursuant to Section 106 of the NHPA and may be submitted via the project website or by mail to:

Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Northwest
Attention: NWTT SEIS/OEIS Project Manager
1101 Tautog Circle, Room 102
Silverdale, WA 98315-1101

Scoping comments must be postmarked or received online by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST) on Jan. 19, 2026, for consideration in the Draft SEIS/OEIS.

Sample Text

SUBJECT: Comments Opposing NWTT Sonar & Explosives Testing — Draft NWTT SEIS/OEIS

To the U.S. Navy NWTT SEIS/OEIS Project Manager,
I am submitting comments on the Draft Northwest Training and Testing Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement / Overseas Environmental Impact Statement (NWTT SEIS/OEIS). I am deeply concerned about the Navy’s proposal to continue and intensify the use of mid-frequency active sonar, explosives, and other high-energy acoustic stressors in waters offshore Northern California, Oregon, and Washington.

The Navy states that “The Proposed Action is to continue at-sea military readiness activities in the NWTT Study Area.” Defining the purpose as continuation of existing activities improperly predetermines the outcome and undermines NEPA’s requirement to objectively evaluate whether, where, and how these activities should occur. The Navy must analyze a real range of alternatives—not just variations of the preferred action.

The Navy acknowledges that proposed activities “may include the use of active sonar, explosives, and other sources of sound.” Peer-reviewed science links mid-frequency sonar to marine mammal strandings, hearing loss, disruption of feeding and migration, and abandonment of biologically important habitat. Explosive detonations can cause direct fish mortality, egg and larval death, and damage to essential fish habitat.

The Draft SEIS/OEIS fails to demonstrate how the Navy will avoid jeopardy to ESA-listed species, including blue whales, humpback whales, and Southern Resident killer whales, all of which rely on sound for survival functions such as foraging, navigation, and communication. For endangered populations, harm to even a small number of individuals can have serious consequences.

The NWTT study area supports commercially and culturally vital fisheries. Research shows intense sound can reduce catch rates and disrupt fish behavior, and explosives can harm eggs and larvae. The Draft SEIS/OEIS must comply with the Magnuson-Stevens Act and fully analyze impacts to Essential Fish Habitat and fishing communities.

Coastal Tribal Nations maintain cultural, spiritual, and subsistence relationships with the Pacific Ocean that extend far beyond the shoreline. The Draft SEIS/OEIS fails to meaningfully incorporate Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) or analyze impacts to cultural seascapes. Federal trust responsibilities require more than cursory consultation—they require substantive consideration and avoidance of harm.

The Navy’s acoustic modeling and thresholds appear both scientifically inadequate and procedurally deficient because the Navy has not provided enough information for independent peer review and public verification. NEPA requires scientific integrity and transparency. Visual monitoring and limited shutdown zones do not reliably detect deep-diving whales and are not sufficient to prevent harm.

The Draft SEIS/OEIS unlawfully segments impacts and fails to fully account for cumulative stressors including shipping noise, fisheries depletion, ocean warming, acidification, and hypoxia. Climate change compresses habitat and increases physiological stress, making marine life less resilient to disturbance. NEPA requires this cumulative, climate-amplified reality be addressed.

I respectfully request that the Navy withdraw and revise the Draft NWTT SEIS/OEIS and prepare a legally adequate analysis that:

- Evaluates real alternatives that reduce harm (including sonar exclusion zones, seasonal closures, and non-acoustic training options);
- Fully discloses and submits acoustic modeling to independent peer review;
- Meaningfully incorporates Tribal TEK and protects cultural seascapes;
- Rigorously analyzes fisheries/EFH and socioeconomic impacts; and
- Evaluates cumulative and climate-amplified impacts with enforceable mitigation that actually prevents injury.

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Details

Type: Public Comments
Organizations: Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Northwest