Captain Paul Watson said that leisure boating strains the ocean environment. Watson, for the record, has been spearheading activities to save the ocean through his non-profit organization known as the Sea Shepherd. Now, he claims that noise pollution might be an "overlooked" problem for marine creatures.

According to NauticExpo, Captain Paul Watson explained that the "sounds of ships and motorboats" invade the sea. As sound travels for long distances in water, propeller noise eventually "interferes with the communication of whales, dolphins, tortoises, and various fishes. If communication is broken, navigation will not work properly.

Thus, a lot of whales have been found dead on shores. Sometimes, these creatures get separated from their group and later find themselves stuck on the beach. Not only that, the confusion brought about by ships and boats often result to a deadly propeller strike.

On the other hand, there are types of fishes and marine animals that are very sensitive when breeding. With this in mind, close encounters with yachts, jet skis, and canoes may potentially interfere with the birthing process. Sadly, the worst case scenario is the death of the offspring.

Watson added that collisions kill thousands of "slow-moving" sea creatures every year. The most common victims include whales, turtles, and manatees. For one thing, Sea Shepherd claims that humans can help save these brilliant animals by limiting speed and avoiding breeding areas as much as possible.

Meanwhile, anchors and anchor chains usually damage the seabed and the coral reefs. Also, while tourism is good for the economy, the government should see to it that nature is not disturbed. To better illustrate, the most beautiful places are the most visited too so extra precautions are needed.

Per WDEF, researchers found that almost 15 percent of humpback whales in the Gulf of Maine (near Massachusetts) had injuries due to "at least" one vessel strike. The study was published in the journal "Marine Mammal Science" last March. Because of the shocking findings, experts believe that people have been "underestimating" the effects of shipping and leisure boating to the ocean.

Between 1978 and 2011, 25 out of 108 reported whale collisions occurred off Alaska. All of these resulted in the animal's death, per a 2012 report in the journal "Marine Biology". Conservation groups like the Sea Shepherd are now doing extra efforts to educate people on ways to minimize the collisions and noise pollution.

Topics Captain Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd