The German Bundestag may decide to protect the Baltic Sea harbour porpoise threatened with extinction that ‘Speed boat events’ in German territorial waters in the Baltic Sea are prohibited. The society to save the dolphins e.V. has at the Petitions Committee of the German Bundestag a petition to protect the Baltic Sea – harbour porpoises threatened by extinction before the speedboat events”and similar events, involving high-speed motor boats are used, submitted the dangers. The German Parliament is to decide that such events in German territorial waters in the Baltic Sea are prohibited”, according to the petition. Reason for this is with the already critical ecological status of the Baltic Sea is located. Especially the through intensive ship traffic and construction activities noise emissions are devastating on the resident marine animals. Additional charges include pollutant discharge, eutrophication (one-fifth of the floors in the key Baltic Sea involves so-called Dead zones”without oxygen), or overfishing. Particularly marine mammals, such as the Baltic Sea – harbour porpoise threatened with extinction, its population size has been halved in the Baltic Sea between 1994 and 2005, are endangered by the existing noise emissions.

You use the hearing to get an acoustic image of their surroundings or their prey. Strong anthropogenic noise, as he assumes, inter alia by high-speed boats, can lead to physical damage to marine mammals (temporary auditory threshold shift, hearing) and to changes in behaviour (E.g. social and hunting behaviors, separation of mother and calf). Given the large ranges of sound of speedboats, the existing network is ad absurdum of protected areas on the coast and in the common economic zone (EEZ). This clearly demonstrated the speed boat event 4 item challenge “, which held on July 4th, 2009 in the Eckernforde Bay – through the middle of one of the most important special – and reproduction areas of the” Baltic Sea porpoises and accurate during their throwing and lactation. Only 2 days before the beginning of the event the Kiel Ministry of agriculture, environment and rural areas under strict conditions granted approval. Environment Minister Dr.

Christian von Boetticher explained: the Eckernforde Bay is a very important habitat in the comparatively strong focus for harbour porpoise. In addition, now take their calves to the world and explore their Habitat together with these. To best protect the animals, so-called FFH areas were designated in this area”. “Problematic for the animals, goes on to say the exceptionally high speed of the press release of the Ministry at the four element challenge” used boats as well as the associated acoustic emissions. The nature protection law review have shown so the Ministry that may be violations of the federal nature conservation Act threatened, if indeed the aspired and from the water – and Shipping Office Lubeck approved speed was achieved by 35 knots (approx. 68 km/h). Therefore, speed limits were made the Organizer to the Edition. Speed boat events”is pure fun events to the profit maximization of the organizer with a high and incalculable risk (expulsion from the habitats by noise pollution, as well as direct killing by collisions), inter alia for the Baltic harbour porpoise. Also damage these events by unnecessarily high fuel consumption and therefore composite end CO2 emissions and emissions into the water of the entire environment. Beyond such noisy events contradict”the common structure of tourism on the coast (families, sailors, nature lovers, beach-lovers) solid. Just tourists will have a lasting negative impression from the Baltic Sea, with negative consequences for the economy of Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. U. Karlowski, GRD e.V.