Airgun
testing in search for oil and gas could harm hundreds of mammals such as
dolphins and whales off the Atlantic coast
Oliver Milman in New York
Fri 30
Nov 2018 17.35 GMTLast modified on Sat 1 Dec 2018 09.36 GMT
The Trump
administration is to allow marine creatures such as
whales and dolphins to be harmed by companies as they search for potential oil
and gas reserves off the Atlantic coast.
The
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) has granted five
operators permission to “incidentally but not intentionally harass marine
mammals” while conducting surveys for fossil fuels in the seabed.
The
testing will involve the use of seismic air guns which fire continuous blasts
to ascertain whether deposits of oil and gas are present. This procedure is a
precursor to what could be the first drilling in federal waters off the US
eastern seaboard in decades.
By the
federal government’s own estimates, airgun testing could harm hundreds of
thousands of marine mammals such as dolphins and whales. Of particular concern
is the endangered North Atlantic right whale, with only around 440 individuals
left, including less than 100 breeding females.
Scientists
have warned that the extreme disruption caused by airguns can harm a wide range
of aquatic life, including sea turtles, fish and zooplankton, a critical
foundational plank of the ocean food web.
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