Conducting seismic blasting in the Bass Strait without considering the full consequences is like planting a tree in your backyard without considering how tall it will grow and whether, as it grows older and larger, branches may fall through the roof of your home.

King Island is a special place, difficult to reach, but with a quiet natural beauty when you do get there. Platypus swim freely in the creeks, penguins run up the shore to their nesting sites, and seals can be found lazing on the sandy beaches.

Traditionally fishing has been important to King Islanders. From the shelter of the Currie harbour on the west coast of the island, local fishermen head out into the wild seas to bring back a variety of fish: whiting, flathead, shark, barracouta and many more.  The island has a reputation for saltwater crayfish and abalone.

Seismic testing in the Otway basin to the west of King Island will harm marine life within those seas.

The University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) have undertaken research into the direct impact of seismic testing on marine species that are important for commercial fisheries. They have identified significant increases in mortality in scallops as a result of noise from seismic airguns, a potential three-fold increase in mortality of adult and larval zooplankton, and damage to the sensory organs and righting reflexes of rock lobsters.

The impacts of noise on marine life remains an evolving field of research, but a 2015 review identified that “anthropogenic noise can cause auditory masking, leading to cochlear damage, changes in individual and social behaviour, altered metabolisms, hampered population recruitment, and can subsequently affect the health and service functions of marine ecosystems”.

In the Bass Strait, seismic blasting will be conducted by TGS NOPEC Geophysical Company ASA, a company that gathers, interprets, and markets seismic and geophysical data regarding subsurface terrains in order to evaluate oil and gas formations for drilling operations. If the seismic testing reveals deposits of oil below the floor of the ocean, oil wells will follow, as sure as night follows day.

Burning of fossil fuels is the major contributor to anthropogenic climate change. Australia’s climate has warmed by just over 1°C since 1910 and average temperatures are projected to rise further. The impacts of a changing climate are already being felt. Mining for oil in the Bass Strait will add more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, both during the mining process and when the oil is burnt to create energy and this will contribute to further global heating.

Offshore oil wells create a higher risk for oil spills and oil pollution. The National Ocean Service of the United States provides the following information on that risk for marine life:

“Oil destroys the insulating ability of fur-bearing mammals, such as sea otters, and the water repellency of a bird’s feathers, thus exposing these creatures to the harsh elements. Without the ability to repel water and insulate from the cold water, birds and mammals will die from hypothermia.

Juvenile sea turtles can also become trapped in oil and mistake it for food. Dolphins and whales can inhale oil, which can affect lungs, immune function and reproduction. Many birds and animals also ingest oil when they try to clean themselves, which can poison them.

Fish, shellfish, and corals may not be exposed immediately, but can come into contact with oil if it is mixed into the water column — shellfish can also be exposed in the intertidal zone. When exposed to oil, adult fish may experience reduced growth, enlarged livers, changes in heart and respiration rates, fin erosion, and reproduction impairment. Fish eggs and larvae can be especially sensitive to lethal and sublethal impacts. Even when lethal impacts are not observed, oil can make fish and shellfish unsafe for humans to eat.”

The National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) has invited submissions on seismic blasting in the Otway basin, to the west of King Island in the Bass Strait. The submission instructions include the proviso that ‘statements of fundamental objection to oil and gas activity‘ cannot be considered.

Telling me what I can and cannot comment on violates a fundamental human right: freedom of speech.

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

The Australian Attorney General states on the government website: “The Australian Government is committed to protecting and promoting traditional rights and freedoms, including freedom of speech….”

I most certainly do have fundamental objections to seismic blasting for oil or gas production in the Bass Strait, and I expect the freedom to express them.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that countries must phase out fossil fuels – they must leave oil, coal and gas in the ground. It is the duty of all governments and corporations to act on that advice, in order to avoid further global heating and further damage to the environment, for the sake of all people and animals.

Seismic blasting in Bass Strait, the first step toward mining for oil in the Otway basin, is the complete opposite from what is required to halt climate change. It must not proceed.

Commenting on seismic blasting in the Otway basin occurs through the NOPSEMA website. The deadline for submissions is 11 August 2023.

Dr Janet Truslove has worked as a livestock veterinarian in Scotland and Queensland and now lives on a farm in Tasmania where regenerative agriculture is practised. She supports Vets for Climate Action through her writing. Twitter @janetisnow