Tag Archives: oil exploration
Fishermen wary of seismic plans for Bass Strait waters
Andrew Smith wants to keep crayfishing long enough to put his children through school. But plans for further seismic testing off his Bass Strait home of King Island have him worried. Energy data company TGS wants to survey for gas across some 4.5 million hectares in the Otway Basin, which are Commonwealth waters between Tasmania and Victoria. Seismic testing has been shown to negatively impact whales as well as other marine life. Tasmanian Seafood Industry Council chief executive Julian Harrington said the testing area was adjacent to rock lobster and giant crab fisheries. He said the waters were a “larvae corridor” for rock lobsters, which have a 15 to 18 month larvae cycle. more, >>click to read<< 07:24
PGS to Acquire Three Seismic Surveys for Eastern Canada in 2020
PGS’ new Blomidon, South Bank, and Torngat Extension GeoStreamer surveys are all supported by industry funding. Together they will cover approximately 10 000 sq. km offshore Labrador and Newfoundland. The three new PGS marine seismic surveys will be acquired by the Ramform Atlas and Ramform Titan between early June and early September 2020. PGS will deliver fast-track results in 2020, and final imaging and interpretation products in early 2021. >click to read< 12:48
“we’ll go out with our vessels and we’ll get in the way”, FFAW vows to stop oil and gas exploration in crab fishing area
Newfoundland and Labrador’s largest fishermen’s union says oil companies shouldn’t be able to explore in some of the province’s most productive crab fishing areas — and members will stop them if necessary. Last week the C-NLOPB issued a call for nominations, asking oil companies which areas they’d be interested in bidding on. “We are not going to stand by and let someone take our livelihood,” said Fish Food and Allied Workers executive board member Nelson Bussey, who has fished for 43 years, on Thursday. “We’ve put too much into this. It’s our life, it’s our industry and we’re not going to stand by. If we’ve got to do it, we’ll go out with our vessels and we’ll get in the way.” >click to read< 20:36
Is seismic testing to blame for disappearing plankton? This scientist says it’s possible
Scientists have noticed a mysterious population crash in some of the Atlantic Ocean’s tiniest and most important species, and a Halifax biologist says oil and gas exploration may be to blame.,,, The tiny organisms are disappearing from Newfoundland and Labrador’s waters, and Lindy Weilgart says blasts from seismic air guns have been shown to wipe them out.,,, On the other side of the world, Australian scientists first found that testing with seismic air guns destroys plankton a few years ago, >click to read< 21:18
Trump administration readies to lease Atlantic offshore for oil exploration
The Trump administration Friday authorized five companies to conduct seismic testing for oil and gas off the East Coast from Delaware to central Florida, prompting protests from environmental groups. Opponents argued sound waves from seismic blasts not only would harm ocean species, including a declining right whale population, but would represent a first step toward offshore drilling in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time in 30 years.,, The governors of Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia have taken stands against testing and drilling. In Georgia, Gov. Nathan Deal has expressed concerns but hasn’t taken a formal position. >click to read<
US Senate candidate Nardolillo on Sheldon Whitehouse’s Conflicting Positions
State Rep Bobby Nardolillo, himself a candidate for the US Senate, reacted today to an announcement from the incumbent regarding Off Shore Drilling. On Monday, February 12th, Sen. Whitehouse will appear on the Bay Campus of URI to pledge his effort to prevent any off shore oil exploration in New England waters. Mr. Whitehouse will be joined at this announcement by Christopher Brown, President of the national commercial fishing organization, Seafood Harvesters of America. The plan appears to be that the Senator will cite potential degradation of fishing grounds as the driver for preventing oil exploration. “I was surprised to read the notice of this rally.” Rep. Nardolillo said. “Especially in view of our Junior Senator’s full throated support for the Deepwater Wind project, off Block Island.” >click to read< 12:46
Lots of inshore issues to talk about at DFO meeting in Shearstown
Wednesday’s meeting in Shearstown for inshore harvesters was filled to the brim with conversation, as the Department of Fisheries and Oceans allowed the event to continue well beyond its planned two-hour duration. The discussion covered an array of topics, from the future of bycatch to qualms about size restrictions for vessels and the potential for oil exploration to harm marine life. Chad Payne, a harvester from Old Perlican, brought up the bycatch issue. He said it seemed wasteful for harvesters to get rid of perfectly good fish,,, >click here to read< 20:36
P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association concerned about Gulf of St. Lawrence oil exploration
The executive director of the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association is calling on the federal government to better assess the risks of oil exploration in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Ian MacPherson wants Ottawa to study the potential impact of an oil spill on the seafood industry. Halifax-based Corridor Resources has applied to do exploratory drilling in the Old Harry reserve between the Magdalen Islands and Newfoundland. Read the rest here 10:01
Obama opens East Coast to oil search
Opening the Eastern Seaboard to offshore oil exploration for the first time in decades, the Obama administration on Friday approved,,,”No one has been allowed to test anything like this on right whales,” Kraus said of the seismic cannons. “(The Obama administration) has authorized a giant experiment on right whales that this country would never allow researchers to do.” Read more here 11:36
