Wandering whales win, seismic scientists lose

Plans to use marine seismic equipment in the Douglas Channel have been put on the shelf after concerns over marine wildlife trumped the need to study the seismic nature of the area.

The Daily News featured the details of the cancelled project on their front page Monday.

CONCERNS ABOUT WHALES SILENCES SEISMIC PROJECT
Plant to study rock formations using sound waves blown out of the water
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Monday, March 12, 2007
Pages one and three

A controversial study that was to have used marine seismic testing in the Douglas Channel to explore how continents are formed has been called off because of concerns about the potential impact on whales.

Canada’s National Science and Engineering Research Council has withdrawn its application for an environmental assessment of seismic testing to explore how batholiths – large bodies of rock – interact with the pre-existing crust of the continents.

“We are very disappointed. I have put in probably more than a year of my time cumulatively trying to get this thing to go and it’s very frustrating and disappointing we have to take this decision,” said Ron Clowes, professor of geophysics with the University of British Columbia.

According to Clowes, Fisheries and Oceans Canada claims there is a lack of sufficient and appropriate data to determine whether or not the testing would result in harm to marine creatures, particularly those recently listed under the Species At Risk Act, including as orcas, fin whales and humpback whales.

The department says it would take four years to complete its assessments – called recovery potential assessments – on the West Coast, despite the fact that these studies have already been completed by DFO on the East coast and seismic testing is permitted.

By that time, the other partners in the North American study would have move on, said Clowes, defeating the purpose of collaborative project.

“Until they establish whether that is dangerous to a whale pod or not, they won’t issue a permit,” said Clowes.

The project has been opposed by several organizations including the Living Oceans Society, Raincoast Conservation Society, David Suzuki Foundation and Sierra Legal. The organizations complained about the potential impact on wildlife and the disputed criticism that it could have opened the door to offshore oil and gas exploration.

“Seismic testing, whether for academic study or to locate oil and gas, presents unacceptable risks to important parts of B. C.’s coastal waters and we hope it puts an end to any proposals to use seismic testing here.”

However, Clowes made it clear it was not the outcry by the organizations that cause the termination.

“It was based on scientific considerations and the fact that on the West Coast the Department of Fisheries and Oceans have not done the type of studies with respect to species that have already been done on the East Coast and hence they have been permitted to proceed with seismic surveys on the East Coast when we are not on the West Coast,” he said.

The termination of the project also means the loss of an opportunity for other scientists to partner with the researchers on board their vessel during the seismic testing.

“Fisheries and Oceans on the East Coast, through a series of boards that don’t exist on the West Coast, have done all these studies and feel they are in a position were they can legally and appropriately issue permits. Now they are unprepared to do so because they don’t have the information that legally allows them to issue permits. We are sort of caught in a catch-22 here,” he said. The application for the U. S. permit for seismic testing is being allowed to continue.

The National Science Foundation have given U. S. scientists the opportunity to prepare a revised scientific plan for the active source seismic and at this stage have not decreased the funding for that survey,” said Clowes.

Although Clowes is not involved, he hopes, other researchers will continue land-based exploration of batholiths on the Central Coast.