Whale[/caption]Marsha Hunt----Activists have been concerned about the population of whales and the impact of seismic airgun testing to the point that the government has decided on a six month moratorium to examine the risks of these tests.
Seismic airgun testing is used to test for oil in the Atlantic. Over 140,000 supporters signed petitions, wrote letters or called their legislators. This included actress Valerie Principal.
Petition was presented to the Department of the Interior, and the decision was made for a six-month delay on seismic airgun testing.
The Washington Post published an article on seismic airgun testing this week, joining other media outlets in speaking out about the dangers of these tests. A major Oceana scientist shares these concerns.
Various legislators such as the late Senator Frank Lautenberg and Congressman Frank Pallone have joined with animal activists and others with their opposition also to seismic gun testing.. Representative Pallone specifically addressed questions to Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, with the request that seismic airgun testing in the Atlantic be terminated.
Oceana tells us that these seismic airguns that are used to find oil and gas deep underneath the ocean floor are so loud they disturb, kill or injure marine life. They also disrupt coastal economies as they interrupt commercial fishing. The blasts produce temporary and permanent hearing loss, disruption of mating and feeding, beach strandings and even death. For whales it is particularly a serious matter as they rely on their hearing to be able to locate food, communicate with other whales and reproduce.