On Saturday morning 27 May 2023 the local Algoa Bay Ocean Stewards Group along with some ocean swimmers and subsistence fishermen gathered on the lawns at Wells Estate in Gqeberha to signal to the Marine Animals that mankind DOES Give a Hoot and will do everything in their power to stop the seismic company CGG from proceeding with a seismic survey in a sensitive breeding ground for all manner of marine life.
Hang in there as at the end of the video we will show you the effect that just 30 vehicles have when tooting their tooters or, as some people ordering Chicken Wings may say; “Hooting at Hooters”.
Young and old braved the cold and drive out to this remote spot to give their support for the animals.
CGG are currently in the process of assessing the environmental merits of doing a seismic survey just off the Gqeberha coast all the way to Plettenberg Bay. Their survey which is proposed to start in January 2024 will take place in the middle of the Agulhas current and the spawning grounds of Kingklip, the start of the Sardine Run, and end zone for turtle hatchlings catching the current from KZN nesting sites.
The comment period on the draft basic assessment report has been extended to 31 May
That booming sound that you hear in this video is of a sesimic array as it progresses slowly across the ocean – imagine having to listen to that for 24 hours a day and weeks at a time!
In ancient times the ocean was a sea of harmonious sound as marine animals communicated with each other – sometimes over thousands of kilometres.
And then along came man adding to the soothing sounds with a cacohony of noise from the slap of wooden boats, halyards and sails to the more direct power driven ships crashing through the ocean and now we have Seismic Airgun Arrays blasting sound into the ocean floor as we search for dwindling supplies of oil and gas to power engines to make more noise.
Seismic surveys have been shown to produce source levels of up to 260 dB. Because this is measured in water, a direct comparison with the level in air is difficult, but would be equivalent to about 200 dB – human eardrums typically burst at 160 dB. More typically a rock concert produces sound measured at about 120 dB.
Seismic surveys also produce sound that is very low frequency, in the 10–100 Hz range. This low frequency enables seismic survey pulses to travel up to 4 000 km away from the source!
Seismic blasting is a violent, destructive part of offshore drilling. To find new oil reserves, ships tow large air guns along the surface of the ocean, blasting ultra high-volume sound waves down to the ocean floor, destroying or damaging sea life.
Blasts are emitted about every 10 seconds, 24 hours a day. Testing can last for weeks and be heard for hundreds of miles.
The largest Seismic Survey vessel currently is the Polarcus Amani – the 300 foot long vessel is considered record breaking for the in-sea configuration that it tows. The vessel’s four propellers (each capable of 3,000 horsepower) provide the power to drag the array of “seismic streamers.” These streamers measure more than 1.6 kilometers wide and 17.7 kilometers long. Even more impressive, the survey covers an area of almost 11.2 square kilometers at a time and that is the reason why Polarus claimed the record for “largest mobile man-made object.”
Seismic Survey Supporters will say:
- We have been testing like this for years
- We are comfortable that this survey far exceeds international guidelines and requirements
- The need for local manufacturing and cheaper energy is very significant
- We look forward to safely exploring in this area for years to come.
Lets break that down:
- Saying that you have been testing for years does NOT make it right – South Africa had apartheid for years and that was NOT right.
- Your survey may exceed international guidelines but, that still does NOT make it right
- Cheaper Energy? Really! When last did any form of energy come down in price?
- You will most certainly be safe as you do not have to live in an environment aking to an alien UFO hovering over your home for 24 hours a day blasting Industrial Metal like Rammstein
More Reading:
- https://blogs.oregonstate.edu/gemmlab/2017/10/24/hearing-is-believing/
- https://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/energy-environment/337446-seismic-blasting-the-ocean-threat-youve-never-heard-of/
- https://dosits.org/animals/effects-of-sound/anthropogenic-sources/seismic-airguns/
- https://www.manufacturing.net/industry40/news/13104561/photos-of-the-day-the-largest-manmade-moving-object-on-earth
- This spearfisherman recorded the sounds of a Siesmic Survey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoXhmsPXlLI
Alan Straton
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