Oceana Forum Aims to Raise Awareness and Political Outreach against Seismic Airguns in Atlantic

If there were dynamite-like blasts exploding right outside your house every ten seconds, for days to weeks on end, you would probably move away, or at least face extreme disruptions to your daily routine. Marine animals off Virginia’s coast may soon have to experience this nightmarish scenario, if the U.S. Department of the Interior approves a proposal to allow seismic airguns to be blasted in the Atlantic Ocean from the Delaware Bay to Florida’s Cape Canaveral, an area twice the size of California.

The use of seismic airguns is a method many companies employ to seek out oil and gas deposits deep beneath the ocean floor. Towed behind ships that trace grids along the floor, seismic airguns shoot compact blasts of air to track reflected sound waves. However, these 190 decibel blasts (250 decibels in water) are 100,000 times more intense than a jet engine, and they can occur every 10 seconds, 24 hours a day, for days to weeks on end. In April, Oceana released a report outlining the threats seismic airguns pose to marine life and coastal economies along the East Coast. The government conceded that seismic activity in the Atlantic could harm and possibly kill 138,500 dolphins and whales, including nine critically endangered right whales, of which there are only 500 left. Seismic testing will also endanger bottom-dwelling fish, such as scallops and sea clams, which are a significant product for Virginia’s seafood industry. Fishermen are not the only workers whose employment might be in jeopardy. Seismic testing also threatens coastal recreation and tourism, putting more than 730,000 jobs at risk in the blast zone alone.

Unfortunately, these numbers may soon go even higher, because the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is planning to release new acoustic guidelines for marine mammals later this year. This will likely increase the area of ocean that is affected by the blasts, as well as the number of animals that are harmed by the intense noises. If the government truly wants to act responsibly, they should wait until in the best, most up-to-date science is available before they make a decision that could irreparably harm coastal livelihoods and injure or kill thousands of animals.

Oceana is working on preventing this dangerous seismic activity before it starts. This month, Oceana delivered 100,000 petitions to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) calling on the U.S. government to not begin seismic activity in the Atlantic. In addition, 50 bipartisan members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have joined Oceana in their request by sending letters to the President calling for a halt to the proposed seismic airgun testing in the Atlantic.

Now is the time for the public to become more involved in opposing the use of these dangerous seismic airguns. Oceana, along with partner organizations, will be holding 10 educational forums this September and October, along the East Coast from New Jersey to Florida. The forums aim to raise public awareness about the threats of proposed seismic testing on the East Coast and encourage political outreach to oppose it.

On Tuesday, October 15, Oceana and the Sierra Club will sponsor a public forum at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. The two-hour event will have a panel discussion with experts in the fields of marine mammals, fisheries, offshore drilling, clean energy, commercial fishing, recreational fishing and tourism. The forum will conclude with a robust question and answer session, which will allow audience members to participate in the event by asking questions of the panelists.

You can RSVP to the Fairfax forum here: http://act.oceana.org/event/seismic_events2013/26/signup/

For any questions regarding the events, please contact the regional organizer Caroline Wood at cwood@oceana.org. For media inquiries, please contact Ben Hayman at bhayman@oceana.org or 207-482-9468.