LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Navy must abide by limits on its sonar training off the Southern California because the exercises could harm dozens of species of whales and dolphins, a federal appeals court ruled

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday night rejected the Navy's appeal

a federal judge in Hawaii issued a similar ban for that state's coastline

The court is saying that neither the president nor the U.S. Navy is above the law," Joel Reynolds, director of the Marine Mammal Protection Project

Southern California's coastal waters are home to dozens of species of whales and dolphins, seals, and sea lions. Nine species are federally listed as endangered or threatened

The Navy said those restrictions would limit its ability to conduct anti-submarine warfare training and possibly prevent certification of some naval strike groups preparing to deploy to the Persian Gulf

to reduce the risk to marine mammals, the order shifts the risk to sailors and Marines