Marine biologists in Australia have published the results of research into the impact of noise from whale watching tourist boats on whales.  Whale watching is a popular tourist activity around the world, connecting people with marine life and providing tourist income. However, whales and dolphins rely on hearing and sounds to communicate, navigate, feed and detect predators - and boats make noise.  Previous work referenced by this research shows noise from tourist boats reducing resting time in whales. This new work also found that noise from boats at 300 metres reduced resting time.

A report commissioned by the Department for Business and Industrial Strategy to look at assessment of noise from onshore wind farms is now published. Acoustic consultants WSP were asked to examine whether the guidance currently used -  ETSU-R-97 –  in use since 1996 - should be updated. The report concludes that noise limits for onshore wind turbines should be revisited to reflect advances in onshore wind turbine technology, scientific evidence of the potential impact of wind turbine noise, and the evolution of government noise policies.