Considerable evidence
exists that human
activities have
significantly
increased the
overall
level
of
sound in the oceans during the last 50
years.1 Accordingly,
concerns
have
arisen about the
effects
of this
rise
in humanmade sound on marine
life.
These
concerns
have
generated greater
interest in this
issue
from scientists
and,
more
recently, from
policy makers.
The
legal dimension of this
topic
has,
however, remained largely outside
the
scope of discussions.
Although regulation at the
national level in many cases will be
sufficient to address
acoustic
pollution, public
international
law
is
still very
relevant.
International law
provides
general obligations
for states
to protect and
preserve
the
marine
environment
and to
treat
specific
sources of
marine
pollution.
Various forms of
marine
pollution have been regulated
in global and
regional
instruments, indicating that
this
might also be
an appropriate
solution for
dealing
with certain noise-creating activities. Since
sound can impact
on
marine life,
it can also be considered
in the
context of
the
conservation
of
marine
species,