European Parliament
Queiró (PPE-DE ),
in writing
(PT)
I voted in favour of the motion for a resolution on naval sonars. Concerns are increasing among the public and the scientific community after a series of documented mass mortalities of cetaceans associated with the use of high-intensity mid-frequency active sonars in coastal environments, and I believe that thorough-going research must be undertaken into why these events happened. The Commission must promote studies into the potential impact on the marine environment of installing active high-intensity naval sonars and to provide an assessment – based on information provided by Member States – on the effects of such practices in EU waters. International agreements, which have yet to be drawn up, aimed at regulating noise levels in the world’s oceans, may prove to be a key measure in regulating and limiting the adverse impact of anthropogenic sonars on marine mammals and fish.

