US-led seismic surveys pose significant threat to BC's salmon and marine mammals

Raincoast Conservation Society
For immediate release: June 27, 2006
Contact: Chris Genovali 250-655-1229, ext. 225 or cell 250-888-3579

US-led seismic surveys pose significant threat to BC’s salmon and marine
mammals

BATHOLITHS project set to begin seismic testing in marine and terrestrial
environments on the central and north coast in 2007

VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA – US funded seismic surveys proposed for marine
and terrestrial environments on BC’s central and north coast pose a
significant threat to the region’s salmon and marine mammals. Pending
approvals, the BATHOLITHS project is set to begin in the fall of 2007.

“The BATHOLITHS project would use some of the world’s loudest air gun
arrays, ostensibly to determine how the Coast Mountains were formed. These
seismic surveys have the potential to deafen whales and dolphins that happen
to be in the inlets during the survey as the sound can ricochet off the
sides of the inlet and carry up the channel,” said Chris Genovali, Executive
Director of the Raincoast Conservation Society. “Blasting along the Bella
Coola River valley (to be measured by acoustic arrays in the ocean) while
salmon are spawning and eggs are incubating also poses a threat to egg
survival. To put salmon and marine mammals at risk in order to answer an
arcane research question makes no sense whatsoever.”

Before the BATHOLITHS project can proceed, it must receive approval from
Canada’s Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), which is
contributing $300,000 (CAN) to the project. The American based National
Science Foundation is contributing $4.5 million (US).

Seismic testing is also being proposed for Queen Charlotte Sound by the BC
government as a precursor to offshore oil and gas drilling.

“Whales and dolphins don’t make a distinction between being deafened by
seismic testing for oil and gas exploration or invasive academic research
such as the BATHOLITHS project. Both kinds of seismic surveys pose a
significant threat to marine mammals and fish on the BC coast,” said
Genovali.