MARINE SCIENTIST WARNS OF SEISMIC BLASTING IMPACTS

Pygmy blue whales in Western Australian waters. Credit: Supplied, Greenpeace.

A Western Australian scientist says the public should continue to pressure energy companies so marine life can be protected from seismic blasting.

Seismic surveys are used to map the ocean floor for oil and gas reserves.

Curtin University Centre for Marine Science and Technology Professor Robert McCauley told listeners of the Ngaarda Breakfast Show: “Keep the pressure on the petroleum companies about seismic surveys. They’ll only do what the public forces them to do, or the regulators force them to do, and that will only happen with input from the community.”

Professor McCauley said the impacts on small animals such as fish and zooplankton were of concern.

“When you impact those, you have flow on effects that might go up to marine mammals,” he said.

“You might disturb all their prey.”

Woodside Energy plans to begin seismic blasting off the Pilbara coast this month to develop the Scarborough gas field as part of the Burrup Hub.

Woodside previously told Ngaarda Media it had plans in place to limit the impacts of seismic testing on marine life.

Listen to Professor Robert McCauley speak to Ngaarda Media’s Sam Walker: