Apollo Bay, VIC, August 24, 9.00am AEST. It has been revealed that multinational companies Schlumberger and TGS are seeking approval to conduct a 3D seismic survey in a massive area of the Otway Basin, offshore from Tasmania, South Australia and Victoria, in order to locate fossil gas deposits below the ocean floor. The proposed area is approximately 7.7 million hectares, making this potentially the largest 3D survey in history. This area is of critical importance to endangered marine life and commercial fisheries. Fishers and environmental groups are shocked by the size and by the presumptuousness of the proposal, and are calling on the Australian and state governments to say no. Lisa Deppeler from Otway Climate Emergency Action Network (OCEAN) says, 'We need to take urgent action on the climate and biodiversity crisis, not continue to allow massive, speculative expansion of fossil fuel industries.'
During seismic surveys destructive blasts of up to 250 decibels are let off every 10 seconds, 24 hours a day, often for months on end. These blasts are known to injure and kill marine species, either by the impact of the blasts themselves or by displacing species from traditional migration, feeding and birthing routes.
Trevor Barker fishes for southern rock lobster out of Apollo Bay Harbour in Victoria. He recalls one year when a reef he consistently fished off at Moonlight Heads was seismic blasted. 'I didn't get one cray afterwards, but what's worse, the pots came up completely empty – no bycatch, nothing. Our rock lobster fishery is one of the most sustainable fisheries in the world, and that's because it is so heavily regulated and monitored. Yet these survey companies come into our fishing grounds and blast away with minimal regulation, even in marine parks that are set aside to protect biodiversity.'
Markus Nolle from the Apollo Bay Fishermen's Co-op says, 'We should be nurturing our environment to ensure there is more fresh, local seafood for generations to come, not knowingly damaging the oceans for the sake of outdated and unnecessary fossil fuel exploration. Seismic activity on this scale will have a huge impact; it will kill planktonic fauna (a food-chain foundation), displace migratory finfish, and fatally damage other oceanic species. This would not be allowed on the land, so why allow it in the sea?'
Lisa Deppeler says the proposal amounts to senseless destruction of marine life. 'Any gas located would take 15 years, at a minimum, to come online and be productive, by which time we need to have transitioned away from fossil fuels and their harmful emissions. Moreover, Schlumberger and TGS have bypassed the process by which exploration titles are granted by the federal government, and have undertaken minimal consultation with affected communities. In effect, they are calling the shots here, not the elected government. It's like the tail is wagging the dog. We are calling on the government to stop this proposal proceeding any further.
