Trump administration approves seismic blasting for oil in Atlantic despite fears for marine life

Companies authorised to 'to incidentally, but not intentionally, harass' whales and dolphins

A North Atlantic right whale feeds off the coast of Plymouth, Massachusetts. It is thought only 400 of the endangered species remain in existence due to entanglements in fishing lines. (AP)

The Trump administration has granted permission for seismic air gun blasting off the US east coast despite warnings it could kill or injure whales and dolphins.

Five companies are authorised “to incidentally, but not intentionally, harass” marine mammals while surveying the Atlantic ocean seabed for oil and gas reserves.

Permits were issued by the fisheries office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which claims it has been assured the testing would not jeopardise endangered or threatened species.

Previous requests were rejected by the Obama administration in January 2017 but Donald Trump has pushed for the expansion of offshore drilling in pursuit of what he called “billions of wealth“.

“President Trump is essentially giving these companies permission to harass, harm and possibly even kill marine life, including the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale — all in the pursuit of dirty and dangerous offshore oil,” said Diane Hoskins, a campaign director at the Oceana environmental group.

“This is the first step towards offshore drilling in the Atlantic.”

Tens of thousands of whales and dolphins, and thousands of manatees, seals and sea turtles, could be harmed by the seismic exploration project across 200,000 miles square miles of ocean between Delaware and Cape Canaveral in Florida, according to estimates from the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

The continuous air gun blasts are so loud that they can deafen marine creatures and and increase the risk of calves being separated from their mothers, according to environmental groups.

“Seismic airgun surveys pose a dual threat to the biologically rich waters off the Atlantic coast,” said Steve Mashuda, managing attorney for Earthjustice, an environmental law non-profit organisation. “Their continuous blasts can injure and deafen whales, dolphins and other marine life, and they are the sonic harbingers of even greater risks associated with eventual offshore oil and gas drilling. We are looking at all available tools to fight this unlawful action.”

“This type of damage to our coastal resources is unacceptable,” said Angela Howe, legal director of Surfrider Foundation. “Seismic blasting is a violent, destructive precursor to unnecessary offshore oil drilling,”

The “incidental harassment” permits have been issued to WesternGeco LLC, a subsidiary of Schlumberger Ltd, ION GeoVentures, Spectrum Geo Inc, CGG and TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company.

In an attempt to reduce the impact on marine life, observers are required to alert operators if a protected species comes within a certain distance.

The companies also have to carry out acoustic monitoring to detect marine mammals and must shut down activities when sensitive species such as right whales are seen within a mile of a survey ship.

Plans for offshore drilling have received widespread opposition from politicians in states along the Atlantic coast.

”Seismic testing risks injuring and killing critically endangered species, severely disrupting economically important fisheries and threatening the Jersey shore,” said Frank Pallone, a New Jersey Democrat who is set to lead the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee in January.

Mr Pallone said lawmakers from both parties "will work tirelessly to fight this reckless decision by the Trump administration".

Additional reporting by Associated Press