Seismic Airguns Great Threat to Marine Life and Coastal Economies in Atlantic Ocean

A latest report from Oceana states that marine life and coastal economies along the Atlantic Ocean are threatened by the seismic airguns that are used in testing for offshore oil and gas, according to a news release.

According to the estimates made by the U.S. government, nearly 138,500 whales and dolphins will be killed by the use of seismic airguns along the East coast right from Delaware to Florida. Apart from this, it will also disturb the necessary activities of millions more.

"With minimal oil reserves there, and drilling at least five years off, seismic testing is an unnecessary insult to whales, dolphins and other marine animals. Drilling in the Atlantic won't lower gas prices; it will instead lead to more oil disasters and more dependence on fossil fuels. Focusing on developing cleaner energy sources would be more strategic for our country and more sustainable for our oceans," Jacqueline Savitz, deputy vice president for U.S. campaigns at Oceana, said in a press statement.

Reports according to Baltimore Sun state that the government plans to conduct an offshore seismic testing from Delaware to Florida. Officials believe that nearly 1.9 billion barrels of oil and 21.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas could be recovered from the area. The blasts will be sent every 10 seconds for 24 hours a day for days or weeks.

According to the reports from Oceana, these airguns are 100,000 times more powerful than jet engines and are capable of disrupting the behavior of marine life by causing permanent or temporary hearing loss, disrupting mating, and causing animals to get stranded on beaches. Apart from this, even commercial and recreational fisheries suffer, including tourism and coastal recreation.

Mathew Huelsenbeck, report author and marine scientist at Oceana, claims that whales and dolphins who depend on their ability to hear in order to feed, navigate and care for their young ones, are killed by the serious effects. It affects marine life right from fish eggs to whales, and people as well.

The other impacts of airguns include disruption of fish migration and spawning, death of several tiny fish eggs and larvae, disruption of loggerhead turtles who head to nesting beaches, and displacement of whales.  

Letters have been sent to President Obama by both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate urging him to cancel the seismic airgun testing that takes place off the East Coast.