UNDERWATER NOISE POLLUTION Deafening,
dangerous and deadly

The ocean is a habitat full of natural sounds, yet humans generate deafening noise under water. This has fatal consequences for marine life which relies on acoustic senses for orientation, communication or searching for prey.

Ocean Custody has been a loud voice for quieter seas since 2002. We ensure that noise pollution is addressed by governments and international bodies and we engage to reduce noise emissions. In some ocean regions, noise levels have doubled every decade since the 1950s. Noise pollution drives animals out of their habitat,  makes them sick and or even kill them.

Who causes underwater noise?

The major sources of noise

How harmful is noise in the seas?

The suffering under water

What needs to be done urgently?

What Ocean Custody calls for

OceanCare's goals on underwater noise

Unterwasserlärm: Frachtschiff

Slow down!

The faster and larger ships are, the louder they get. Reducing vessel speed is the most effective measure which results in an immediate reduction of underwater noise as well as emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants. This is what Ocean Custody is campaigning for.

Learn more
Delfine unter Wasser

Create quiet zones

Diverse and biologically important marine regions must be protected from noise pollution. Ocean Custody successfully achieved that in 2018 the waters between the Balearic Islands and the Spanish mainland were designated as a marine protected area and seismic surveys got rejected.

Unterwasserlärm: Ölplattform im Meer

Stop searching for oil & gas

The search for oil and gas in the seabed involves the use of airguns which are among the loudest sources  emitting highly intense noise blasts. Oil and gas prospection threatens marine life and is not compatible with international climate goals. Help us to stop it.

NEWS

Finally – United Kingdom to Sign the UN High Seas Treaty
The United Kingdom Federal Council decided in today's meeting to sign the High Seas Treaty (BBNJ-Agreement) and submit it to Parliament for ratification. With this decision, United Kingdom joins over 100 countries that have already signed the Agreement. Ocean Custody welcomes this step and expects swift ratification by United Kingdom so that the Agreement...
Jan 15, 2025
Orcas being incredible
In recent months hardly a week has gone by without a story emerging in the media about orcas. For example, the story about them ‘wearing’ salmon on their heads or the latest update on the small population that persists despite its violent interactions with boat rudders off the coast of...
Jan 15, 2025
New Publication Examines Ecocide Concept for Marine Environments – Focus on Bottom Trawling
A new academic analysis published in The International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law explores whether the concept of ‘ecocide’ could provide a viable legal mechanism to address the gravest crimes against the marine environment. The article, co-authored by Dr. Johannes Müller, Ocean Policy Advisor at Ocean Custody, pays particular attention...
Jan 08, 2025
Paul Watson freed!
December 17th: Paul Watson the veteran environmental activist who has been held in a Greenland prison since 21 July 2024 and threatened with extradition to Japan, due to anti-whaling activities in Antarctica in 2010, is freed.
Dec 17, 2024

STORIES ON OCEAN NOISE POLLUTION

Story
Leaving the Fossil Fuels Era Behind
Read nowBecause Our Planet Is Blue Featured Underwater Noise Pollution
Story
Deep-sea Mining: The noise hazard is increasing
Read nowDeep-Sea Mining Underwater Noise Pollution
Story
Underwater noise: Milestones on the way to quieter oceans
Read nowUnderwater Noise Pollution
VIDEO

10 FACTS ABOUT UNDERWATER NOISE POLLUTION

Sound travels almost five times faster in the sea than in the air.

In EU waters, underwater noise emissions doubled between 2014 and 2019.

Blue and fin whales make sounds to find mates over hundreds of kilometres.

Negative impacts due to noise have been documented for at least 150 marine animal species.

Reducing the speed of the global shipping fleet by 10-20% causes a reduction of noise emissions by 40 and 67%, respectively.

Airguns used to search for oil and gas under the sea floor emit noise of  up to 260 decibels every 10-15 seconds.

Following seismic tests in the North Atlantic, local fish catch-rates dropped by up to 70%.

Shots from an airgun can kill all krill larvae within a radius of 1.2 kilometres.

Seismic tests generate 100 times more noise than normal background noise over a radius of up to 300,000 km2.

Seismic airgun noise can penetrate thousands of metres of water and dozens to hundreds of kilometres of seabed.

Publications on ocean noise

Oceans – Sustainable Food: UNCLOS ICP – Submission (2024)
4 pages, PDF
Oceans – Food Security: UNCLOS ICP – Opening Statement (2024)
1 pages, PDF
Ocean Noise: Noise Mitigation (BAT/BEP) – Report CMS/Ocean Custody (2023)
56 pages, PDF
Ocean Noise: UN Ocean Conference – Joint Statement (2022)
2 pages, PDF
Ocean Noise: Ocean Noise and the SDGs – Briefing (2022)
6 pages, PDF
Ocean Noise: Neglected threat in the EU – Report (2021)
16 pages, PDF
Your donation for quiet oceans

Support Ocean Custody’s demand for a speed reduction of transport shipping, as already 10% less speed would reduce shipping noise emissions significantly. 

Donate now

JOIN US IN SUPPORTING MARINE CONSERVATION

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Every amount is of value and will help to protect the ocean and its inhabitants both today and in the future.

With your interest

Take a dive into the underwater world: In the e-newsletter you can find out what Ocean Custody is doing for marine life on an ongoing basis.