<\/p>\n
Seismic surveys off the West Coast will not affect fishing, and harm to marine life will be minimised, the company authorised to conduct the survey in the Orange Basin told the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The Aukotowa small-scale fishing cooperative based in Port Nolloth, the Green Connection, and Natural Justice went to court to set aside the authorisation granted by the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), the director-general of the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) and the Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources to TGS Geophysical Company to do seismic surveys.<\/p>\n
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The applicants argued on Monday that the DMPR and DFFE had not properly considered the marine impact of seismic surveys.<\/p>\n
In their court papers, they said that a \u201ccautious approach\u201d had to be taken because of \u201csignificant gaps in knowledge relating to the impacts and risks of seismic blasting on marine life\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cPart of the uncertainty is that we don\u2019t know what the long-term impacts are,\u201d said Liz McDaid, strategic lead at The Green Connection.<\/p>\n
She said the seismic surveys could potentially affect \u201cfuture generations of fish and therefore the livelihoods of fishers\u201d.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Advocate Andrew Breitenbach, representing TGS, argued that the company\u2019s Basic Assessment Report acknowledged \u201cvarious information gaps\u201d on the impacts on marine life, and would assume the \u201cworst-case scenario\u201d where there is \u201clack of full scientific certainty\u201d and adopt \u201cmitigating measures\u201d where necessary.<\/p>\n
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Mitigating measures include stopping seismic activity when detecting marine animals like penguins or avoiding sensitive areas such as feeding areas.<\/p>\n
Breitenbach said the \u201cimpacts of the survey will be very limited and localised\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said the survey would be so far offshore (about 120km offshore of St Helena Bay and 230km offshore of Hondeklip Bay) that it would have no impact on fishers.<\/p>\n
He said TGS\u2019s environmental assessments had been compiled by scientists with \u201ccomprehensive\u201d scientific knowledge.<\/p>\n
In their court papers, TGS said the reports demonstrated that \u201cwhile survey activities will result in some impacts that could be categorised from low to medium, the adverse impacts can be mitigated to reasonable and appropriate levels\u201d.<\/p>\n
The science on the impacts of seismic surveys on marine life is inconclusive.<\/p>\n
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In a statement released in 2022, in a court case challenging seismic surveys by Shell off the Wild Coast, the South African Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies acknowledged the \u201clack of full scientific certainty\u201d on the impact of seismic activity.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven a relative dearth of evidence on the impact of seismic surveys on marine life in South African waters, coupled with the uncertainties about the harm that may be suffered if Shell\u2019s survey is permitted to resume \u2026 a precautionary approach is warranted.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Similarly, a 2023 review in Frontiers in Marine Science of 31 studies found \u201cextensive variability\u201d in the effects of seismic activity.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnowledge gaps still exist due to scarce information available on species distribution, the use of habitats, and the lack of standardised measurements,\u201d the authors said.<\/p>\n
Judgment in the case was reserved by Judge Judith Cloete.<\/p>\n
\u00a9 2026 GroundUp. This article was first published here.<\/p>\n
#West #Coast #oil #search #wont #harm #fishing #court #told<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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