Marine life vs oil drilling
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- Published on Sunday, 22 February 2015 01:22
- Written by editor
140 pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in New Zealand -- and it might have been caused by seismic testing by oil companies. But we don't know, because the government didn't research it before granting permits.
Tell the New Zealand government to put all seismic testing for deep sea oil on hold and launch an independent study.
Paov,
140 pilot whales have died in a mass stranding, in an area off New Zealand where oil companies have been intensively searching for deep sea oil. The hunt for oil could have contributed to the stranding, injuring some whales and panicking others -- but no-one knows, because the New Zealand government didn't bother to research the impact on whales before granting the exploration permits.
The oil companies are using seismic testing: huge underwater booms that send pressure waves pulsing down to the ocean floor. This testing has been going on 24 hours a day for weeks, and marine scientists think that this could be bad for whales and dolphins.
The New Zealand government should never have approved such widespread seismic testing without an independent study into how it could affect the area's marine mammals.
Dolphins and whales are sensitive to the constant noise caused by the flaring of compressed air guns from surveying boats. It could mean they can't hear each other easily, or find food, or care for their young. The seismic noise could be causing them to become distressed and surface too quickly, resulting in pain. In the light of these tragic strandings, an urgent investigation about whether seismic testing could be a cause for the whales’ death is necessary.
The New Zealand government has allowed an unprecedented amount of seismic testing for deep sea oil to take place in its waters this year, particularly by Norwegian company Statoil. It has happily granted permits to test in marine mammal reserves -- including off the West Coast of the North Island, inside a sanctuary to protect the highly-endangered Maui's dolphin.
This has to stop. We know we need to leave 80% of known fossil fuels in the ground if we are to prevent dangerous runaway climate change. There is absolutely no justification for exploring for new sources of oil -- especially when they could contribute to putting at risk the health of whales and dolphins who are already struggling to survive in our changing climate. The New Zealand government needs to get its priorities right and put the seismic testing on hold, now.
Sign the petition to halt seismic testing for deep sea oil off the New Zealand coast.
Thanks for all you do,
Angus, Cami, and the team at SumOfUs
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More information:
Did seismic testing for oil contribute to the mass whale stranding on Farewell Spit?, Greenpeace New Zealand, February 14 2015
Terrifying and Destructive to Whales and Dolphins: A Glimpse Into the Reality of Seismic Exploration, Huffington Post, December 11 2013
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