France, June 13 -- Marine mammals struggling to feed their young are abandoning key habitats as underwater noise from human activity grows louder - a threat that's now been recognised by dozens of countries in an international push for quieter oceans.

At the UN Ocean Conference in Nice this week, 37 countries led by Canada and Panamasigned the first global declaration devoted solely to reducing human-caused ocean noise.

The effort targets the growing din from ships and industrial activity that is disturbing marine life around the world.

"We're aware of about 130 different marine animals that are negatively impacted by underwater noise," Mollie Anderson, senior campaign strategist at Canadian NGO Oceans North, told RFI in Nice.

"In som...