An integrated approach to addressing stakeholder concerns about the potential impacts of marine seismic surveys on fish and invertebrates  

Authors / CoAuthors

Carroll, A.G. | Przeslawski, R. | Bruce, B.

Abstract

The extent to which low-frequency sound from marine seismic surveys impacts marine fauna is a subject of growing concern. The predominant frequency range of seismic airgun emissions is within the hearing range of cetaceans, reptiles, and fishes, and it can also elicit a neurological response in some invertebrates. Offshore seismic surveys have long been considered to be disruptive to fisheries, but comparatively few studies target commercially important species in realistic exposure scenarios. One of the main challenges in underwater sound impact studies is the meaningful translation of laboratory results to the field. Underwater sound properties are affected by the sound source, as well as characteristics of the water column, substrate, and biological communities. The experimental set-up is also critical in determining accurate response measurements, and design features of holding tanks can lead to misinterpretation of results, particularly related to behaviour. It may be tempting to simplify laboratory results to show effect or no effect, where results should instead be interpreted in the context of realistic exposure scenarios and field conditions. This project was developed in response to concerns raised by the fishing industry during stakeholder consultation in the lead up to a proposed seismic survey in the Gippsland Basin (Victoria, Australia), in addition to a broader need to acquire baseline data that may be used to quantify potential impacts of seismic operations on marine organisms. The project involves seven experimental components conducted before, during and after the seismic survey in both control and experimental areas of the Gippsland Basin: 1) Theoretical noise modelling, 2) Field-based noise monitoring and modelling, 3) Image acquisition by Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), 4) Bivalve sampling by dredging, 5) Fish movement analysis by tagging, 6) Catch rate analysis, and 7) Environmental modelling during the 2010 mortality event. In this presentation, we describe these components and critically review our current understanding of low-frequency sound impact on marine fish and invertebrates.

Product Type

nonGeographicDataset

eCat Id

89981

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Keywords

• External Publication

( Theme )

• Marine

( Theme )

• Fisheries

( Theme )

• Seabed

( Theme )

• seismics

( Theme )

• habitat

Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)

• Earth Sciences

• Published_Internal

Publication Date

2016-01-01T00:00:00

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Australian Government Security ClassificationSystem    

Classification - unclassified

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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Licence    

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Use - license

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Purpose

Maintenance Information

asNeeded

Topic Category

oceans

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Unknown

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Reference System

Spatial Resolution

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