Mitigation provisions to be implemented for marine seismic surveying in Latin America: a review based on fish and cetaceans

A Acosta,Mc Yepes,N Niño-Rodríguez,O Boisseau

doi:10.3354/ab00688

Abstract

AB Aquatic Biology Contact the journal Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections AB 26:199-216 (2017) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/ab00688 REVIEW Mitigation provisions to be implemented for marine seismic surveying in Latin America: a review based on fish and cetaceans Alberto Acosta1,*, Nelsy Niño-Rodríguez1, Maria Camila Yepes1, Oliver Boisseau2 1UNESIS, Biology Department, Faculty of Science, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Carrera 7 No. 40-62, Bogotá, Colombia 2Marine Conservation Research International, 94 High Street, Kelvedon, Colchester CO5 9AA, UK *Corresponding author: laacosta@javeriana.edu.co ABSTRACT: Population growth and economic development in Latin America has led to an increase in seismic surveying to find new marine hydrocarbon reserves. However, most countries along the Pacific, Atlantic, and Caribbean lack the standards to minimize the impact of seismic exploration on marine organisms. We searched primary and secondary literature in major databases and consulted international authorities and oil companies to provide scientific evidence of the effects of seismic surveying on fish and cetaceans in order to propose minimum guidelines to reduce disturbance to marine organisms in Latin America. The results suggest that seismic surveys can disrupt basic life-cycle activities such as movement, communication, and feeding. Typical outcomes include sub-lethal effects such as escape behavior, habituation, temporary loss of hearing, and changes in vocalization behavior. In order to mitigate these impacts, we propose that oil companies must provide authorities with an environmental impact assessment that includes survey data, array specifications, and acoustic array properties before a hydrocarbon exploration license can be granted. Standard mitigation measures such as exclusion zones, marine mammal observers, and passive acoustic monitoring must be implemented to prevent potential adverse effects. Appropriate legislation and regulations must be designed and implemented, and environmental authorities should be privy to all activities by seismic vessels. Besides relevant regulations and continued monitoring, further investigation must be conducted to evaluate the impact of these activities on marine organisms. The adoption of these proposed minimum guidelines is highly recommended to minimize seismic surveying impact on fish and cetaceans in Latin American countries. KEY WORDS: Marine seismic exploration · Fish · Cetaceans · Acoustic · Sub-lethal impacts · Risk assessment Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Acosta A, Niño-Rodríguez N, Yepes MC, Boisseau O (2017) Mitigation provisions to be implemented for marine seismic surveying in Latin America: a review based on fish and cetaceans. Aquat Biol 26:199-216. https://doi.org/10.3354/ab00688 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in AB Vol. 26. Online publication date: November 21, 2017 Print ISSN: 1864-7782; Online ISSN: 1864-7790 Copyright © 2017 Inter-Research.

Highlights

31% of global energy comes from oil (International Energy Agency, www.iea.org), making it themost widely used energy source
The total acoustic energy of a pulse generated by a single airgun or an array can be measured as the sound exposure level (SEL) in conjunction with other metrics such as rise time, peak amplitude, and crest factor
There is scientific evidence suggesting that the intense impulsive signals produced during oil or gas seismic surveys cause sub-lethal effects on fish, as well as cetaceans

Summary

Introduction

31% of global energy comes from oil (International Energy Agency, www.iea.org), making it themost widely used energy source. The total acoustic energy of a pulse generated by a single airgun or an array can be measured as the sound exposure level (SEL) in conjunction with other metrics such as rise time, peak amplitude, and crest factor. Multiple airguns are fired with precise timing to generate a coherent pulse of sound; broadband levels of 248 to 255 dB re 1 μPa are typical of a full-scale array for receivers >1 km directly underneath the source (Richardson et al 1995). The duration of the discharge is determined by the purpose and range required by the oil operator in the area being explored (Serway & Jewett 2013) This process is usually uninterrupted because of the high operating costs and rental of special vessels equipped with seismic cable, air guns, hydrophones, and other technology required to carry out this activity (Ebuna et al 2013, Xia et al 2015)

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