Myth: Seismic Surveying Harms Marine Animals
Myth: Seismic Surveying Harms Marine Animals
On the seismic testing used to locate energy reserves, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) chief environmental officer wrote that there has been “no documented scientific evidence of noise from air guns used in geological and geophysical (G&G) seismic activities adversely affecting marine animal populations or coastal communities.”
The fact is seismic testing is carefully managed, with a number of precautions and safeguards built into each permit granted to seismic operators. Seismic survey vessels maintain exclusion zones around themselves to avoid injuring marine animals, and onboard, trained observers keep watch so that survey operations can be shut down based on thorough protocols.
