Drilling: Threat To Whales Unknown as U.S. Weighs Atlantic Surveys

"Starting next year, oil and gas industry ships could be crisscrossing the Atlantic coastline, firing off seismic air guns every 12 seconds at a noise level that would rupture a human eardrum.

But the underwater blasts will remain imperceptible to people, instead affecting marine mammals and fish in largely unknown ways.

The noise could mask the calls of whales, cause mammals to leave feeding areas and interrupt breeding. It might damage whales' hearing, in the short term and perhaps even permanently. Fish and sea turtles might flee. Larvae may die.

But the seismic surveys form a crucial part of the Obama administration's plan to open up Atlantic waters to drilling. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has proposed selling leases in its 2017-2022 plan, and oil and gas companies want to use air guns to find untapped mineral deposits and decide where to drill."

Emily Yehle reports for Greenwire September 8, 2015.