Animal welfare body urges review of seismic survey approval

The National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says the petroleum exploration contractor is being disingenuous in demarcating a seismic exclusion zone, as if it will be protected from adjacent seismic activity.

NSPCA spokesperson Jacques Peacock said CGG’s non-technical survey let the cat out the bag.

“It is quite clear that the stakeholders, who pursue this project for financial gain, have taken a disingenuous approach.

“The proponents state that most of the survey area between Plettenberg Bay and Algoa Bay is of ‘least concern’, and only the extreme inshore portion is ‘vulnerable’.

“However, the survey area borders several threatened, endangered and critically endangered ecosystems, and the assessment fails to address the impact of the seismic shock waves from the survey on these ecosystems.”

He said it was laughable that the endangered portion of the survey area had been “excluded” from the survey as if that area would be immune to the shock waves and sound disturbance from the seismic activity.

This was especially worrying considering that the “excluded area” in this case was the fragile Port Elizabeth Corals Marine Protected Area, the “kingklip kingdom” situated off Gqeberha.

“The proponents frame the assessment in a manner which could make the gullible believe that this protected area stands in isolation and has some sort of dome around it, guarding it from any adverse effects.

“The assessment also does not take cognisance of the fact that sea animals are not stationary objects.

“They travel throughout the area, often great distances at once, where they may be adversely impacted by the survey.”

In November, the environment department and minister Barbara Creecy authorised UK-based CGG to conduct a seismic survey for oil and gas in the Plettenberg Bay-Algoa Bay block and, in a related ruling, Creecy rejected an appeal against Searcher’s application to do the same on the West Coast.

The minister has also rejected an appeal against TotalEnergies’ application to drill in the area between Gansbaai on the Southern Cape coast to Doring Baai on the West Coast.

The decisions have prompted an outcry from environmental and social activists and fishing communities, who argue that the seismic activity will harm the marine life upon which they rely.

With seismic 3D surveys, air cannons towed behind a vessel fire every 10 seconds, 24 hours a day, into the water.

The blast vibrations bounce off the seabed, capturing information about mineral deposits beneath it, and return this information to receivers on the surface.

The CGG survey is set to start in January and will continue for five months.

Peacock said marine animals relied on sound for their vital life functions, including communication, location of prey, detection of predators and simply sensing their surroundings.

“Various studies have confirmed that seismic blasts from airgun arrays can cause deafening in several marine animals.

“Turtles experience temporary deafness and seals tend to leave the seismic area, affecting their reproduction patterns.”

He pointed to a previous finding of the Constitutional Court that “animal cruelty is prohibited both because of the intrinsic values we place on animals as individuals but also to safeguard and prevent the degeneration of the moral status of humans”.

“Our apex court considers animals to be ‘sentient beings that are capable of suffering and experiencing pain’.

“Yet this consideration seems to be absent in all assessments conducted in respect of the survey and seem to be ignored by those who want to use the environment, and pose a risk to animal welfare, to their own advantage.”

He said Section 24 of the constitution was fundamental.

“It says SA cannot place economic gain above the environment and animal welfare.

“Both aspects should be considered equally, and a just and equitable result should follow — not one where economic growth is prioritised at the expense of the environment and animals, with a few feeble mitigating factors added.

“This is a resolute call for a comprehensive reassessment of the proposed 3D seismic survey off the southeast coast of SA.

“The concerns we have outlined necessitate an urgent and thorough review.

“In the spirit of responsible governance and sustainable development, we urge the department to reconsider its stance, prioritising the wellbeing of marine life, the environment and the future generations who will inherit the consequences of our decisions.”

CGG says “seismic noise could impact marine animals” but with mitigation this impact will be “low to very low”.

Its recommended mitigation measures include avoiding the spawning period for squid, and terminating seismic blasts when marine animals enter the mitigation zone.

HeraldLIVE

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