It was a typical March morning for whale watching in the Bahamas — mild, a little humid, and not a hint of the elusive beaked whales that have made their home in the Grand Bahama Canyon for the past 30 million years.
But look out far enough and you might have glimpsed the fleet of U.S. Navy destroyers running training exercises in the canyon, blasting deep-sea sonar at decibel levels equivalent to a jetfighter.
And if you stuck around a few hours, you'd have finally seen these majestic whales — 17 of them, stranding themselves on the beach, bleeding from their ears and brains, desperately trying to escape the deadly noise.
Sonic Sea ( http://www.sonicsea.org ) is a 60-minute documentary about the impact of industrial and military ocean noise on whales and other marine life. It tells the story of a former U.S. Navy officer who solved a tragic mystery and changed forever the way we understand our impact on the ocean.
The film is narrated by Rachel McAdams and features Sting, in addition to the renowned ocean experts Dr. Sylvia Earle, Dr. Paul Spong, Dr. Christopher Clark and Jean-Michel Cousteau.
Sonic Sea was produced by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Imaginary Forces in association with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Diamond Docs.
Learn more and find a screening near you at http://www.sonicsea.org
Watch the trailer for Sonic Sea, the new NRDC documentary that tells the inside story of this day of infamy — then see what happened next when the film premieres Thursday, May 19, on the Discovery Channel.
WHAT: The television premiere of Sonic Sea — the powerful new documentary narrated by Oscar-nominated actress Rachel McAdams that exposes how relentless human-made ocean noise is devastating marine mammals, and charts a path toward solving this avoidable environmental tragedy.
WHEN: This Thursday, May 19, on the Discovery Channel
 Narrator Rachel McAdams and me at the Sonic Sea premiere |
In 60 minutes, this eye-opening film reveals the profound impact of industrial and military noise on whales and other marine life — starting with the riveting story of Ken Balcomb, a former U.S. Navy officer who solved the tragic mystery of the mass whale stranding described above.
This is the story that changed forever the way we understand our impact on the ocean — and shows what we can do to quiet this deadly noise.
Check out the Sonic Sea trailer right now and sign up to get involved — then catch the TV premiere this Thursday, May 19, on the Discovery Channel.
In the darkness of the sea, whales and other marine life depend on sound to mate, find food — in short, to survive. But a cacophony of sonic "bombs" unleashed by oil prospectors, freight ships and military sonar is tearing their symphony of life apart.
The first step to solving a problem is sounding the alarm as far and wide as possible — andthat starts with this film.
I hope you'll watch,
Rhea Suh
President, NRDC
This is the story that changed forever the way we understand our impact on the ocean — and shows what we can do to quiet this deadly noise.
Check out the Sonic Sea trailer right now and sign up to get involved — then catch the TV premiere this Thursday, May 19, on the Discovery Channel.
In the darkness of the sea, whales and other marine life depend on sound to mate, find food — in short, to survive. But a cacophony of sonic "bombs" unleashed by oil prospectors, freight ships and military sonar is tearing their symphony of life apart.
The first step to solving a problem is sounding the alarm as far and wide as possible — andthat starts with this film.
I hope you'll watch,
Rhea Suh
President, NRDC
The mission of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is to safeguard the Earth: its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends.
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