There has been much debate about proposed offshore drilling along the Atlantic Coast. Some people are trying to drive policy decisions by creating unfounded fear about the potential impacts of seismic surveys. Despite claims to the contrary, there is no scientific, peer-reviewed evidence that seismic surveys harm fish or marine mammals. In fact, seismic surveys are safely conducted almost daily around the world. Understanding how they work can help to allay unfounded fears.
Seismic surveys use the same technological principles as an ultrasound in a medical procedure, just on a larger scale. Survey vessels release compressed air, creating sound waves that echo back when they reach solid items in the water column, underwater structures or the sea floor. These echoes are recorded by sensitive instruments on the survey vessels and then analyzed to produce an accurate picture of the ocean floor and what lies below.
Just like any other oceanic noise, these sounds waves may temporarily alter the behavior of marine mammals or fish, but they do not cause injury. Survey vessels seldom cover the same area twice, and fish and marine mammals that may change their direction during a survey pass, return to the area once the vessel has departed.
Recent studies seeking to discredit the safety of seismic surveys are effective clickbait generators; however, they do not reflect real-world operating conditions nor take into account the stringent mitigation measures employed by seismic professionals. Exclusion zones, soft-start procedures, visual observers, and passive acoustic monitoring ensure the safety of marine life. Operations cease, should any marine mammal be sighted near an ongoing survey.
Few people understand that seismic surveys are not new in the Atlantic, nor are they exclusive to oil and natural gas exploration. In the last four years alone, more than 20 seismic surveys have been conducted in the Atlantic in support of dredging shipping channels, siting offshore wind farms, locating unexploded military ordnance, and identifying sand resources for beach replenishment. In other words, seismic surveys are remarkably routine.
Fears that seismic surveys will open the door to a job-killing offshore energy industry are also unfounded. Offshore oil and gas development in the Atlantic could create more than 210,000 new, accessible and well-paying jobs, on top of existing tourism and fishing jobs, while new offshore wind projects could generate 160,000 jobs nationally. Feared conflicts or competition among industries operating in the Atlantic — energy, fishing, tourism and the military — can be managed. The Gulf of Mexico has some of the best fisheries and tourism economies in the world, which have co-existed with the oil and gas industry and the military for generations.
By the way, there are no guarantees that seismic surveys off our Atlantic Coast would even lead to actual offshore oil and gas development. Even if resource-rich offshore geologic features are discovered, a multi-year planning and permitting process, including thorough analyses of safety and environmental factors would precede any physical operations.
Debate is good, but truthful and scientifically grounded debate is better. The U.S. uses seismic surveys for a host of reasons, including offshore energy development. Thankfully, peer-reviewed studies and decades of real-world experience offer zero evidence that seismic surveys have negative impact on marine life.
Randall Luthi is President of the National Ocean Industries Association.
