At least 15 dolphins have been found dead on the eastern islands of Greece since the end of February after a 103 vessel training exercise by the Turkish navy during February and March this year.
Researchers in the area say that they can’t be sure that the Turkish navy exercise directly resulted in the death of the dolphins but suggest that the intense noise pollution from sonar and live ammunition use may have driven them to surface too quickly or beach themselves.
Only one or two dolphin deaths were recorded for the same period last year.
NATO has already adopted sonar guidelines to prevent similar incidents with whales but it is unknown whether or not Turkey abides by these guidelines.