Waking up to the noise of a jackhammer next door is no way to start the day—and the same is true if your home is in the ocean. But fish, whales, dolphins, and other animals that live in the sea can, just like us, become deeply stressed by loud noises. A new study by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that “intense underwater sound” from oil and gas exploration, military sonar, and other human activity is bad news for marine life. And the oceans are becoming an increasingly deafening place to live.

The sound interferes with the animals' ability to navigate underwater using sound, leaving them unable to find mates or escape predators, among other things. According to the NRDC, “There is no longer serious scientific debate about whether marine mammals are dying from intense manmade ocean noise.” The group has launched a campaign to protect ocean life from sonar and other potentially lethal noise.