[Infowarrior] - Navy May Deploy Anti-Terrorism Dolphins

[Richard Forno]

Feb 12, 9:27 PM EST

Navy May Deploy Anti-Terrorism Dolphins

By THOMAS WATKINS
Associated Press Writer
http://news.wired.com/dynamic/stories/D/DOLPHIN_DEFENDERS?SITE=WIRE&SECTION=
HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Dozens of dolphins and sea lions trained to detect and
apprehend waterborne attackers could be sent to patrol a military base in
Washington state, the Navy said Monday. In a notice published in this week's
Federal Register, the Navy said it needs to bolster security at Naval Base
Kitsap-Bangor, on the Puget Sound close to Seattle.

The base is home to submarines, ships and laboratories and is potentially
vulnerable to attack by terrorist swimmers and scuba divers, the notice
states.

Several options are under consideration, but the preferred plan would be to
send as many as 30 California sea lions and Atlantic Bottlenose dolphins
from the Navy's Marine Mammal Program, based in San Diego.

"These animals have the capabilities for what needs to be done for this
particular mission," said Tom LaPuzza, a spokesman for the Marine Mammal
Program.

LaPuzza said that because of their astonishing sonar abilities, dolphins are
excellent at patrolling for swimmers and divers. When a Navy dolphin detects
a person in the water, it drops a beacon. This tells a human interception
team where to find the suspicious swimmer.

Dolphins also are trained to detect underwater mines; they were sent to do
this in the Iraqi harbor of Umm Qasr in 2003. The last time the animals were
used operationally in San Diego was in 1996, when they patrolled the bay
during the Republican National Convention.

Sea lions can carry in their mouths special cuffs attached to long ropes. If
the animal finds a rogue swimmer, it can clamp the cuff around the person's
leg. The individual can then be reeled in for questioning.

The Navy is seeking public comment for an environmental impact statement on
the proposal.

The Navy wanted to deploy marine animals to the Northwest in 1989, LaPuzza
said, but a federal judge sided with animal-rights activists concerned about
the effects of cooler water, as well as how the creatures would affect the
environment. Water in the Puget Sound is about 10 degrees cooler than in San
Diego Harbor, which has an average temperature of about 58 degrees, LaPuzza
said.

Since then, the Navy has taken the dolphins and sea lions to cold-water
places like Alaska and Scandinavia to see how they cope.

"They did very well," LaPuzza said. If the animals are sent to Washington,
the dolphins would be housed in heated enclosures and would patrol the bay
only for periods of about two hours.

Stephanie Boyles, a marine biologist and spokeswoman for People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals, said that sea mammals do not provide a
reliable defense system, and that they should not be kept in small
enclosures.

"We believe the United States' citizens deserve the very best defense
possible, and this just isn't it," Boyles said, adding that dolphins are
easily distracted once in open water. "They don't understand the
consequences of what will happen if they don't carry out the mission."

Dolphins can live as long as 30 years. LaPuzza said the Navy occasionally
gives its retired animals to marine parks but generally keeps them until
they die of old age.

The Navy has been training marine mammals since the 1960s and keeps about
100 dolphins and sea lions. Most are in San Diego, but about 20 are deployed
at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Ga.

The Navy hopes eventually to downsize its marine mammal program and replace
the animals with machines.

"But the technology just isn't there yet," LaPuzza said. "The value of the
marine mammals is we've been doing this for 35 years, and we've ironed out
all the kinks."

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On the Net:

Navy Marine Mammal Program, http://www.spawar.navy.mil/sandiego/technolog
y/mammals/