The U.S. Navy has given up its controversial plans to test sonar systems off the New Jersey shore after enviros and federal regulators protested that the tests could harm whales and other marine animals. Two months ago, a dozen whales beached themselves in the Bahamas one day after Navy sonar exercises. Many scientists believe that ocean animals can be harmed by the extremely high-decibel sounds of sonar systems. In other whale news, enviros are cheering an announcement by the South African government that it will soon designate the nation’s first whale sanctuary.
