Tag Archives: Seismic surveys
REPORT: Shocking results from seismic research
According to the report, which French seismic company CGG participated in, whiting catches fell by 95% and flathead 75% from January to July compared with the prior six months. While the report is preliminary, and just the first of a four-stage study into seismic acquisition and the effect it has on marine life, it paints a concerning picture for the offshore oil and gas sector as it backs up speculation by fishing companies that seismic acquisition can damage marine habitats.,, The environmental impact of seismic surveys on the marine environment is a hotly contested one, with the oil and gas industry noting it was key to securing exploration, and the fishing industry concerned it is losing catches immediately after surveys are conducted. >click to read< 09:24
A thousand days later, why is NOAA still dithering on allowing seismic surveys?
It has been more than a thousand days since the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries accepted as “final and complete” the Incidental Harassment Authorization, or IHA, applications needed to take seismic surveys off the Atlantic Coast. Considering that the Marine Mammal Protection Act, or MMPA, requires agencies to issue decisions within 120 days after deeming IHA applications complete, this delay is a shocking policy failure. (This is an oil industry article, with a link to NMFS AA Chris Oliver’s testimony.) >click to read<15:50
Seismic Surveys Planned Off U.S. Coast Pose Risk To Marine Life
Animals that live in the ocean communicate with sound — humpback whales, for example. But these voices could soon be drowned out by powerful sonic booms from vessels searching for oil and gas. President Trump is opening up the Atlantic Coast to companies to explore for fresh reserves. And to explore, they will be making some of the loudest sounds ever heard in the ocean — sounds that, according to recent research, could harm marine animals from whales to plankton. Five companies are currently applying for permits to use seismic air guns,,, >click to read< 14:18
Offshore exploration and drilling back on table for Georgia
The Trump administration announced earlier this month that it is moving forward on seismic surveys in the Atlantic Ocean, the first step toward offshore drilling in a region where it has been blocked for decades. The Interior Department plans to review six applications by energy companies that were rejected in January by the Obama administration. Local and state environmental groups as well as many coastal municipalities oppose the surveys, saying loud sounds from seismic air guns could hurt marine life. Sen. David Perdue, R-Georgia, and Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Savannah, remain in favor of seismic testing and offshore drilling. “With a vibrant commercial fishery industry and the only known calving ground for endangered North Atlantic right whales just off our coast, Georgians oppose seismic testing for offshore oil exploration and the risks it poses to our state’s wildlife, wild places, and quality of life,” said Alice Keyes, vice president for coastal conservation at Coastal Georgia-based One Hundred Miles. Click here to read the story 19:19
Tasmanian researchers say Scallop deaths linked to seismic surveys being carried out on seabed
A link can be drawn between seismic testing for mineral resources and scallop deaths, Tasmanian researchers say. The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation has released findings of a four-year study into the impact of marine seismic surveys on south-east Australian lobster and scallop populations. The study began after Tasmanian fisherman were convinced seismic testing carried out by the Victorian Government in Bass Strait in 2010 caused a massive die-off. Seismic testing involves firing soundwaves into the ocean floor to detect the presence of oil or gas reserves. Bridport fisherman Allan Barnett was hit hard from the 2010 mass mortality. “The industry blames the seismic activity for the death of virtually all the scallops in that bed which was 24,000 tonne — about $70 million worth,” he said. Read the story here 10:24
Fish expert sounds off on seismic surveys
The impact of the surveys on whales and other marine life has been hotly debated. In August, William Yancey Brown, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s chief environmental officer, asserted in an agency newsletter that there’s no documented scientific evidence of noise from air guns used in seismic surveys “adversely affecting marine animal populations or coastal communities” or commercial fishing. But Grant Gilmore, a senior scientist with,,, Read the rest here 12:15
Grachek – Seismic Blasting: More Dots
Stay with me on this one. Press briefing on Atlantic seismic surveys, Erik Milito, API director upstream and industry operations Thursday, February 27, 2014 “The economic benefits of opening the Atlantic to offshore oil and natural gas development will be felt all across the country…” The oil companies are among the most powerful entities on the planet and they want the ocean.They also want to know the “most efficient drilling locations” so they’re going to start seismic blasting along the East Coast and are busy sending out their initial public opinion cover-stories; what’s really interesting though, is how the agencies of the government, the academic institutions, and the environmental groups, all in a coordinated way, seem to fall in line to be the point men dutifully performing the marketing prevarications for these mammoth companies. Read more here 04:40
After city protest over seismic surveys ministry says: Fishermen awarded $77.3m in four years
Fishermen in T&T received over $77.3 million in payments as compensation for seismic activity from five oil companies between 2010 and 2013, the Ministry of Energy reported yesterday. The ministry released the information hours after dozens of fishermen from across Trinidad staged a demonstration in downtown Port-of-Spain yesterday to vent their anger at the impact that seismic surveys have had on fish stock. more@guardianco 07:11
Seismic surveys are coming to the East Coast – This is the result in Tasmania’s scallop industry “Smart from the Start”?
the mercury.comau – 
A PUSH to protect marine life from seismic surveys has been backed by Tasmania’s scallop industry, which says testing in Bass Strait in 2010 wiped out 24,000 tonnes of shellfish. At the same time a study is under way at the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania to try to understand how seismic surveys may affect marine life, in particular scallops and rock lobsters. continued
