Department of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2011;63(1-4):49-55. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2011.03.007. Epub 2011 Mar 31.
The potential impacts of naval sonar on cetaceans has led to a series of court cases and statements of concern by international organizations. However, there has been no research conducted on attitudes of the general public with respect to this issue. To investigate this, a preliminary public survey was conducted in Fairfax, Virginia (the Washington, DC Metro region). The majority of the public sampled believed that naval sonar impacted marine mammals (51.3%), that the US Navy should not be exempt from environmental regulations in time of peace (75.2%), and that sonar use should be moderated if it impacts cetaceans (75.8%). Individuals who were conservative, Republican, and have served in the military were more likely to believe the Navy should be exempt from marine mammal protection regulations. In addition, expert interviews were conducted to gain opinions on the potential ramifications of the recent US Supreme Court case on naval sonar mitigation.
海军声纳对鲸目动物的潜在影响导致了一系列的法庭案件和国际组织的关注声明。然而，对于公众对此问题的态度，尚未进行任何研究。为了调查这一点，在弗吉尼亚州费尔法克斯（华盛顿特区都会区）进行了初步的公众调查。抽样的大多数公众认为海军声纳影响了海洋哺乳动物（51.3%），美国海军在和平时期不应免除环境法规（75.2%），如果声纳影响到鲸目动物，声纳的使用应该适度（75.8%）。保守派、共和党人和有过从军经历的人更有可能认为海军应该免除保护海洋哺乳动物的法规。此外，还进行了专家访谈，以了解美国最高法院最近关于海军声纳缓解案的潜在影响的意见。
