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An Open Letter

The ocean has been a major part of my life since my father purchased a boat when I was eight. Sailing with him lead to my career studying the ocean and how man might best and safely use its resources. Over the last 26 years, my work has taken me to all the world’s oceans -- from the Arctic, where I lived on two-meter-thick ice that covered a frigid ocean two miles deep, to the warm waters of the Napali Coast off the Hawaiian island of Kauai. I have looked out of a tent at polar bears no more than 20 feet away, watched dolphins play in bow waves countless times, and had whales surface no more than 10 feet from my boat. You just cannot spend so much time at sea without appreciating the marine world and its magnificent creatures. I take comfort in knowing that there are still parts of the world virtually untouched by mankind.

But as a scientist and an engineer, I must deal with the practicality that the free world depends on using the oceans for shipping, oil exploration, and national defense. And there is little question that these activities can put whales at risk. Many are injured, die, or are seriously harassed each year as a result of collisions with ships and of loud underwater acoustic  events that are a consequence of seismic exploration, demolition,

submarine detection, and other activities. These numbers, we believe, could be dramatically reduced if we were better able to detect when whales are in the vicinity.

In 1998, our team at Scientific Solutions began to apply what we know about sonar and sound in the sea and how it might be safely used to protect whales and other marine mammal populations. Working closely with leading marine biologists, we developed an approach for detecting whales that addresses the inadequacies of the two current approaches: visual identification and passive sonar. The weakness of visual identification is obvious to anyone who has ever spent time at sea during a pitch-black night or when high seas, rain, or fog obscures vision. In such conditions, it becomes nearly impossible to detect the presence of whales by sight alone. Passive sonar, which detects the presence of whales by “listening,” also has limitations. It only works when whales are vocalizing, which is not the case much of the time, and it can be difficult to determine the distance.

We are using active sonar soundings at safe low-power levels and at frequencies high enough to be out of the hearing range of most whales. Our goal is to reliably detect the presence of whales even when they are silent and regardless of weather or sea conditions. This is important knowledge. If we know whales are near, we can potentially navigate around them and stop dangerous activities until the whales pass to safety.

Of course, our interest in protecting whales isn’t exclusive. Many people around the world are passionate about the protection of whale populations. That’s why we believe it is essential for this important research to be conducted in full view of all interested. Over the next several months, we invite you to explore our website, to learn more about what we are doing, to track our progress, and – most important – to ask questions.

Best regards,

Peter J. Stein, Ph.D.
President
Scientific Solutions Inc.
Nashua, New Hampshire