Steps you can take to prevent
dangerous seismic blasting
NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources has authorized five private companies to “incidentally, but not intentionally, harass marine mammals” with seismic airgun blasting to search for oil and gas off the Atlantic coast. “Harassment” is defined in the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to include “permanent injury and disruption of vital behavioral patterns in marine mammals such as breathing, nursing, feeding, and migration.” Seismic surveys can be heard hundreds to thousands of kilometers from the source and are known to disrupt marine mammals, fish, and marine invertebrates in various ways, including hearing compromise, habitat displacement, increased stress, and migratory disruptions.
Unfortunately, this is only the beginning. After seismic surveys detect the potential oil and gas deposits, exploratory wells must be drilled to confirm the presence of extractable hydrocarbons. (The Deepwater Horizon disaster started out as an exploratory well…) There are many more disruptions between the first seismic surveys and the inevitable oil spills – which will completely transform the regional habitat. To learn more about the largely-unknown aspects of what happens below the rigs and platforms on the sea floor, watch our video “Offshore Oil: What happens between the Seismic Surveys and the Oil Spills.” The following action resources were put together by Oceana so the public can take action to prevent dangerous seismic blasting:
1) TWEET: Your member of Congress needs to hear from you.
Click here to get instructions to tweet your representative to tell them to stop this attack on whales, dolphins and other marine life.
2) EMAIL: Add your name to a petition to Congress.
Click here to send an email letting your member of Congress know you need them to stand up for the coast and protect marine life.
3) SHARE: Show the world the coast you love.
Have a video of your favorite coastal spot or an aquatic animal that you want to protect from dirty and dangerous offshore drilling? Use the form at this link to submit it to us for a chance to be featured by Oceana and shared with decision-makers in Washington, DC! The Administration is ignoring the groundswell of voices on the coast who oppose offshore drilling and exploration in the Atlantic. The fight to protect our coast is not over, and we need your help to win again. In the unlikely chance that President Trump follows through with seismic airgun blasting in the Atlantic Ocean, visit Oceana’s interactive map for near real-time access to the precise locations of seismic vessels in the blast zone.