SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters), November 13, 2007 - The U.S. Navy can go ahead with training exercises this month using sonar off the California coast but should afterward implement new guidelines to protect whales, a U.S. appeals court said on Tuesday.

For years, U.S. courts have weighed the rights of whales to live undisturbed versus U.S. national security needs. The order of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was the latest effort to strike the right balance.

In August, the 9th Circuit in a split 2-1 decision put on hold a lower court injunction blocking the Navy sonar tests that wildlife supporters say harm whales. The Navy said its tests are vital to maintain military readiness.

The dissenting judge in that case asked why the Navy had dropped environmental mitigation measures to protect whales it had used from mid-2006 to January 2007.

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