Joanna Lumley Urges Boris Johnson to Halt Underwater Explosions That Harm Whales and Dolphins

Strategic Insights -

Joanna Lumley, the renowned actor and conservationist, has written a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his fiancée, Carrie Symonds, expressing her deep concern about the detonation of wartime bombs at sea. This practice, used to clear ordnance ahead of windfarm construction, can cause deafness and even death in vulnerable whales and dolphins. The use of underwater explosions is "truly shocking in scale," Lumley said, with a "devastating impact" on marine mammals.

The UK government has estimated that around 50 detonations are carried out every year in the seas around Britain. This figure is likely to increase with the quadrupling of offshore windfarms by 2030. Lumley, who supports the windfarm program, urged Johnson and Symonds to consider the welfare of marine life. She cited a 2015 government-funded study that linked a mass stranding of whales in Scotland to offshore bomb disposal.

Key Takeaways:

  • Estimated 50 detonations are carried out every year in the seas around Britain, with a likely increase due to the quadrupling of offshore windfarms by 2030.
  • Humanitarian letter signed by Joanna Lumley urging Boris Johnson to stop detonation of wartime bombs at sea to prevent harm to whales and dolphins.
  • Mass-stranding events, such as the one in Durness in Scotland in 2011, where 39 pilot whales were stranded, are linked to offshore bomb disposal.
  • Deflagration, a quieter method of clearing ordnance, has been used by the Royal Navy since 2005 and shows promise for noise abatement.
  • Campaigners, including Stop Sea Blasts, are calling for the use of deflagration instead of detonation to protect marine life.

Statistics:

  • 50 active detonations are carried out every year in the UK.
  • Quadrupling of offshore windfarms by 2030.
  • 2011: 39 pilot whales were stranded in Durness, Scotland, following a nearby munitions disposal.
  • 100,000 mines and bombs scattered around UK coasts left from military operations in the first and second world wars.
  • 600lb bombs have been found on the seabed.
  • 8 porpoises were deafened and died in August 2019 as a result of explosions used to clear second world war mines in German protection zones.

Sources:

  • Government-funded study, 2015.
  • Jason Alden/Rex/Shutterstock.