Navy must guard marine life against sonar

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy must devise safeguards for marine life before it can use submarine-hunting sonar in training missions off the California coast, a court ruled.

Environmentalists and the military both claimed victory in Tuesday's ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The panel said the Navy could continue its exercise but restored parts of a lower court's ban on the submarine-hunting sonar until it can formulate ways to ensure marine mammals aren't harassed or injured by sonic blasts during training missions scheduled for January.

"We are encouraged that the appeals court found the original injunction was too broad and ordered the district court to tailor mitigation conditions under which the Navy may conduct its training," Navy spokesman Capt. Scott Gureck said in a statement.

Environmental groups' attorney Richard Kendall said his clients will offer to meet with the Navy to develop timely remedies that won't disrupt the Navy's training schedule.

"Our position has been the same all along. We are not opposed to training, but we are opposed to training without precautions that will prevent unnecessary harm to whales and other marine mammals," Kendall said.