The US decided to allow a first-in-a-generation seismic search for oil and gas in the Atlantic ocean. This move was made in spite of protests claiming that these tests will use loud air gun blasts that will harm marine animals.
The ocean is full of sound, with many animals depending on it to survive. By using sound, many marine organisms can communicate underwater and understand information about their environment.
However, underwater noise deriving from human activity, produces sounds that interfere with the ability of marine animals to hear the natural sounds in the ocean, concluding on a major and often deadly menace to ocean wildlife.
According to The Guardian, the US government is going to allow seismic search for oil and gas under Atlantic waters which are going to increase the underwater noise in the area and, probably, will harm aquatic life.
The geological tests involve loud seismic air guns which fire continuous blasts to determine whether deposits of oil and gas are present. These air gun testing blasts could possibly harm whales, dolphins and other animals.
Furthermore, scientists have warned that the extreme disruption caused by air guns can harm an even wider range of aquatic life, including sea turtles, fish and zooplankton.
Under the authorizations issued by Noaa, operators will have to listen and watch for marine life while testing and shut down activity if groups of sensitive species are observed. Unintentionally damage, however, will not incur any penalty, The Guardian reports.
Despite the warnings and protests, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) approved a plan to make it legal for five companies to conduct seismic testing off the Atlantic coast, in an area stretching from Delaware to Florida.
[smlsubform prepend=”GET THE SAFETY4SEA IN YOUR INBOX!” showname=false emailtxt=”” emailholder=”Enter your email address” showsubmit=true submittxt=”Submit” jsthanks=false thankyou=”Thank you for subscribing to our mailing list”]
The companies, including TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Co. Asa and Schlumberger Ltd. subsidiary WesternGeco Ltd., still must win individual permits from the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management before they can conduct the work, but those are widely expected under President Donald Trump, according to Bloomberg.
The other companies that have been approved to conduct the seismic testing are Ion GeoVentures, Spectrum Geo Inc and CGG.
The seismic testing is an initial step toward leasing federal offshore waters to oil companies that may want to drill there.
In January, USA announced that it will develop the National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program (National OCS Program) for 2019-2024 which proposes to make over 90% of the total OCS acreage and more than 98% of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources in federal offshore areas available to consider for future exploration and development.
