The U.S. Navy Incorporated Sea Lions and Other Marine Mammals 50 Years Ago

December 22, 1973 - Flipper Joins the Navy - Science News

Training has been imparted to a variety of sea creatures including porpoises, sea lions, and even whales to retrieve dummy rockets and various other items from the ocean floor. These animals are guided by a homing device to submerged objects using grappling hooks. However, the focus of research has shifted towards smaller marine mammals like porpoises due to the high cost and occasional instability of whales.

Currently, the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program, which operates out of San Diego, is responsible for the training of bottlenosed dolphins and California sea lions to safeguard ships and harbors. The sea lions have been instrumental in bringing back equipment from the ocean bed, while dolphins have been trained for underwater mine detection. Both species have also been trained to flag unauthorized swimmers. Beyond security, the program also helps in understanding dolphin echolocation, evaluating human-induced noise effects on wildlife, and more. The ongoing projects are investigating the viability of determining the health of dolphins through their whistles and using a video game system for cognitive enrichment of the navy's sea lions.