FRIDAY HARBOR — A U.S. Navy spokeswoman says the submarine USS San Francisco used sonar when it passed through the Strait of Juan de Fuca earlier this week.
Hydrophones operated by the Friday Harbor-based Whale Museum had picked up loud sonar pings, worrying marine mammal advocates who say the sonar could harm endangered orca whales.
The Navy’s Sheila Murray confirmed Thursday that the submarine and its surface ship conducted safety dives and underwater communication in the area on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Whale Museum’s Val Veirs says no unusual strandings have been reported, but the sounds were as intense as in May 2003, when whales were observed acting strangely after the USS Shoup emitted midfrequency sonar signals in nearby Haro Strait.
Murray says the Navy didn’t enter Haro Strait and used trained lookouts, passive sonar and other measures to detect marine mammals.
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