Opinion/Your Turn: Stellwagen Bank is noisy below the surface. Here's why that has to change.

Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary is one of our ocean treasures. A stone’s throw from Boston, this wild ocean place near an urban world is home to humpback whales and many other marine animals and is one of the last holdouts for Atlantic cod.

But it’s not acting like a sanctuary. Animals in Stellwagen Bank can hardly hear each other against the din of underwater noise pollution. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the agency responsible for managing this area, is updating Stellwagen’s management plan for the first time since 2010, and this is a great opportunity to address the noise in the sanctuary.

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We, humans, use light to see and, ultimately, survive. Marine life has adapted to use sound in the same way. A favorite example is that of humpback whale mothers and calves, who whisper quiet contact calls so they don’t become separated — the same way I hold my 2-year-old’s hand when we walk down the street.

Since the industrial age, we have been injecting more and more noise pollution into our ocean, drowning out the sounds that marine life relies on. Noise is truly a marine ecosystem health issue, harming everything from zooplankton up to the largest of whales in similar ways.

NOAA and the U.S. Navy carried out a project called SanctSound and found that Stellwagen experiences the most continuous loud noise of any sanctuary studied. Vessel noise is present almost 90% of the time in some months. The greatest offender is the large commercial ships that traverse the Sanctuary to service Boston Harbor, but small and medium size vessels, like those used by the whale watching and fishing industries, also pose a risk.

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Noise is having measurable effects on some of Stellwagen Bank’s most iconic and endangered marine life. Atlantic cod make sounds known as “grunts” important for successful reproduction. Grunts may only be detected over 1.4 yards during periods with the highest vessel traffic, which could throw off the timing or location of a spawning event. Different types of large whale vocalizations can also be drowned out by 80% or more. And that can reduce communication space by a vast 10 to 1,300 square miles depending on the species and call type. Drowning out humpback whale song and social sounds may impair breeding and feeding success.

It’s possible to reduce this noise successfully. Slower vessels emit less noise. They can also be kept away from important habitats during times when animals are most vulnerable, or in some cases can be built or retrofitted with quieter technologies.

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Stellwagen Bank can be a quieter sanctuary for marine life, but it will take proactive steps to manage the noise.

Sector-specific noise management planning, in partnership with fishing and whale watching industry stakeholders, would be a helpful first step.

To make meaningful improvements, the agency would need to implement noise mitigation measures within 12 months of its planning process.

Sanctuary staff could work to advance noise reduction strategies for commercial ships at the International Maritime Organization or explore vessel slow-down incentives with Boston Harbor.

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The sanctuary has already instituted slowdown measures for vessels. Building on those by slowing all vessels down to 10 knots or less within its boundaries would immediately quiet the area down while providing large whales and sea turtles further relief from the danger of vessel strikes.

Stellwagen Bank was established 30 years ago. What better anniversary gift could there be than a thoughtful, action-oriented strategy to turn down the volume for a quieter 30 years to come?

Francine Kershaw is the senior scientist, marine mammals, at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Opinion: Cape Cod: Noise at Stellwagen Bank is threat to marine life