HumaneLines, a joint project of The Humane Society of the United States and The Fund for Animals, reported this week that the two groups have achieved a resounding legal victory for whales and other marine mammals.

A federal court has ruled that, contrary to the Bush Administration's directives, the U.S. Navy may not deploy its high-intensity LFA sonar system across most of the world's oceans.

The LFA (Low Frequency Active) sonar system, which is used to detect submarines, delivers noise blasts so intense that they may deafen, injure, and even kill any whales or other marine mammals who happen to be in its path.

Magistrate Judge Elizabeth LaPorte agreed that the LFA sonar could "irreparably harm" marine life, and has ordered the Navy to begin negotiations with The HSUS, the National Resources Defense Council, and other plaintiffs on a plan for safely deploying the sonar system in a limited area.