Shell to Blast Shock Waves Through Whale Breeding Ground

Dec 17

Activists have launched a last-chance attempt to stop Royal Dutch Shell from performing seismic tests to search for oil in vital whale breeding grounds along South Africa’s eastern coastline.

Activists have launched a last-chance bid to halt plans by Royal Dutch Shell to use shockwaves underneath the sea off South Africa’s eastern coastline - a vital whale breeding ground - in the search for oil and gas.

Last week, a South African high court dismissed an urgent legal challenge by environmental groups including Greenpeace Africa to stop the oil company’s seismic survey. Campaigners said the program may cause irreparable harm to the whales, dolphins, and seals who live in the relatively untouched marine environment, especially to migrating humpback whales in the area.

“Each shockwave is louder than a space shuttle launch, and local whales, dolphins, sharks, and turtles will be subjected to them every 10 seconds, for five months, in whale mating season,” said a Greenpeace spokesperson said. “Scientists are clear we cannot drill for more oil and gas and meet our climate targets - and the use of seismic waves could have a devastating impact on the health of marine life.

“If successful, the operations would also disrupt the local communities that depend on eco-tourism and fishing for their livelihoods.”

Another application to stop Shell’s seismic survey will be held in the Grahamstown High Court in Makhanda on Friday, brought by lawyers acting on behalf of the Amadiba, Cwebe, Hobeni, Port Saint Johns, and Kei Mouth communities.

The new application argues that Shell does not have the necessary environmental authorization in terms of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) to lawfully undertake seismic exploration activities in the area. It also states that Shell’s Development of Environmental Management Programmes contains no consideration of the cultural, spiritual, or heritage issues relating to the ocean, despite the way in which both the sea and its sand are held in reverence by the different communities along the coast.

The concerns raised by the communities are echoed by local and international experts in the fields of behavioral and acoustic ecology of marine animals, marine scientists, ichthyologists, and fisheries consultants, whose reports have also been filed as part of this application.

Leading experts in marine science, Drs. Jean Harris, Jennifer Olbers, and Kendyl Wright, concluded that seismic surveys do cause harm to both species and the ecology and that significant direct harm to individual animals and to populations of endangered species is the most likely scenario in this case. Of specific concern to them is the impact on threatened humpback whales and likely mortalities on critically endangered leatherback and endangered loggerhead turtles.

In a statement, Shell said that it had “long experience in collecting offshore seismic data” and taken great care to prevent or minimize the potential impacts on fish, marine mammals, and other wildlife.

“South Africa is highly reliant on energy imports for many of its energy needs. Should viable resources be found offshore, this could significantly contribute to the country’s energy security and the government’s economic development programmes,” it said.

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