The saying ‘silent as a fish’ is misleading: just as there are natural sounds on land – the rustling of leaves or the patter of rain – the seas and oceans are also full of sounds: from the sloshing of seaweed to the sounds of animals feeding and communicating with each other, there is a natural soundscape.
This is massively drowned out by noise, for example from the driving of piles for drilling platforms and wind turbines, from sound cannons used to search for oil deposits and, above all, from shipping. Marine biologists warn that underwater noise is massively disrupting life in the oceans. Not only are the often-mentioned orientation systems of whales affected, but also microscopic organisms. The Christian Albrecht University of Kiel has found that microscopic crustaceans floating in water consume less food when exposed to noise.
Such consequences of human influences on systems that are invisible to normal people often have particularly far-reaching consequences, but do not feature in political discussions. These crustaceans are an important part of the food chains for larger marine animals. At the end of these food chains is, not least, humans.
Sail freighters that switch off the engines they use for harbour manoeuvres at sea would contribute significantly to reducing harmful noise. The following infographic also highlights a key point for a well-managed future in terms of marine noise: less sea transport.
The graphic shows the steps from the almost untouched ocean to the current mess. In a second step, it shows a better or worse managed future.
Coalition against ocean noise – Switzerland is missing
At an ocean conference, a coalition of the ‘highly ambitious’ was formed to tackle the problem. Its members include most EU countries. Switzerland, the sixth largest maritime nation in terms of tonnage, is missing. Among other things, the largest container shipping company, MSC, comes from Switzerland. Container ships are particularly noisy. On the one hand, they travel fast. In addition, the thousands of metal boxes they carry make constant noise when the ship moves in rough seas.
Here is the statement from the ‘Coalition of the Highly Ambitious’. It is a start. However, practice will show whether it also has positive consequences. And the urgent reduction of shipping by transforming away from waste is not mentioned.
High-Ambition Coalition for a Quiet Ocean
A healthy, vibrant, and resilient ocean is full of the natural sounds of marine life, which use a dazzling array of songs and calls to communicate, find food, and navigate their aquatic world.
Today, these essential biological sounds are routinely at risk of being drowned out by human-generated ocean noise, harming marine biodiversity and ecosystems, contributing to the biodiversity crisis, and making the ocean less resilient to a changing climate. Furthermore, ocean noise is intensifying, driven by the ongoing expansion of global shipping activities and development of ocean industries.
Despite urgent calls for action from international bodies, including the Convention on Biological Diversity, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the International Whaling Commission, and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, as well as from marine scientists and civil society, progress to abate ocean noise has been limited.
Given our commitments to stem the triple planetary crises – biodiversity loss, pollution, and climate change – immediate action is needed. Fortunately, strategies, technologies and tools that can reduce underwater noise are available.
As leaders focused on protecting ocean health and marine biodiversity, we urge our fellow leaders around the world to join us in promoting ambitious and practical solutions that will restore a quieter ocean, including:
• Developing new policy to drive the design and operation of quieter ships at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Underwater noise from shipping is the leading contributor to ocean noise pollution worldwide. We must work together at the IMO to build on the current progress and craft policies that achieve our vision for the future of a global shipping fleet that is both carbon-free and quiet.
• Establishing marine protected areas that take into account the protection and restoration of the natural ocean soundscape. We are committed to achieving the effective protection of at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030, and we invite and encourage all States, relevant international organizations, and multilateral bodies to take action to reduce human-generated ocean noise when designing and implementing marine protected areas and other effective area-based management measures.
• Investigating and implementing effective solutions to reduce vessel impacts on sensitive ocean wildlife. There are many potential measures to reduce harmful levels of noise in the ocean, and they can also bring wider environmental benefits. These measures can include vessel speed reduction, re-routing, technical or operational improvements, and may vary in effectiveness depending on circumstances.
• Supporting capacity-building to assess and reduce ocean noise by sharing available tools and knowledge, including those tools currently being developed by the IMO’s GloNoise Partnership.