Source: From: JWRFoundation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact Jim Hanna or Vicki Hanna [email protected]
3940 Laurel Canyon Blvd., PMB 256
Studio City, CA 91604
Backstreet Boy Comments on Boating Accident and
Makes Waves on Navy's Sonar Plans
STUDIO CITY, Calif., July 5, 2001 -- Following a boating mishap near the
Seven Mile Bridge in Marathon, Fla., Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter
said the incident that stranded his boat on a patch of seagrass was an
unfortunate accident that occurred in one of his favorite safe havens, the ocean.
Carter said he's concerned with the condition of the area that was
disturbed by his 45-foot SeaRay boat. "Everyone knows how much I love the ocean,"
said Carter, who frequently boats and scuba dives during his time off from
recording and touring with the Backstreet Boys.
Last January Carter announced during the first leg of the Backstreet
Boys' Black & Blue World Tour that he would be doing his part to protect the
oceans and marine life by creating a charity campaign to benefit various
oceanic causes.
"I think the best way to appreciate the ocean is to spend time in it,"
said Carter. "This was an accident and I feel really bad about it, and I'll
do what I can to repair any damage. But I think there are a lot scarier
things going on in our oceans than my boat accident."
Carter recently learned about the United States Navy's plan to deploy a
low-frequency active (LFA) sonar system that would target as much as 80
percent of the world's oceans with sound waves that, when initially
emitted from Navy vessels, are millions of times more intense than are
considered safe for humans. According to reports, the Navy acknowledged that its
recent use of intense mid-frequency sonar off the coast of the Bahamas was
responsible for the mass beaching of whales from several different
species.
One of the species that beached in the Bahamas has virtually disappeared
from the area. Some scientists believe that these whales may have bled to
death and sunk to the bottom of the sea. Necropsies of the whales showed that
the sonar tests caused hemorrhages in the whales' ears. The Navy's own study
concluded that their sonar tests were likely the cause of the whales'
injuries and their subsequent beaching.
"Whales and dolphins depend on their hearing to navigate, find food,
talk to each other, breed -- to pretty much survive. So, basically, a deaf whale
is a dead whale," said Carter. "Imagine standing next to the Space Shuttle as
it blasts off -- think that might hurt your ears? That's pretty much what
they want to blow through the oceans."
To operate its new low-frequency system, the Navy has requested a waiver
of the Marine Mammal Protection Act that prohibits the harassment, injuring
or killing of marine mammals. The National Marine Fisheries Service is
currently reviewing the Navy's request and is expected to reach a decision by fall
of this year.
Carter said he's speaking about the issue to increase awareness. "It
seems like the only people who even know about this are marine biologists,
environmentalists and the Navy," said Carter. "This testing could have a
huge impact on whale populations all over the world and it may not even be
necessary. People have a right to know what's going on and a right to
have input on it before a decision is made."