It was a pity to see the news of another mass stranding of Pilot Whales in the Orkneys, there was a smaller but still significant one last year too.
As my daughter is finishing her degree in marine biology, and one of her core modules is marine mammal studies, I asked her about possible causes
Straight away she replied "oil & gas seismic surveys are the number one possible cause"
Well, as a former oil & gas geologist I had heard that line before
So, I looked into it myself by checking the NSTA website and other info sources which typically list, monitor or discuss such activities but found nothing
In fact the latest large scale O&G seismic survey I could find that had been conducted in that area was concluded in 2016. Most other surveys being more localised close to already operational facilities much further to the north
On the bbc site the commentator suggests that the whales could have been "panicked by killer whales" - which is of course possible
As far as I could easily see, just two newspapers (Times & DM) carried the story and mentioned a large scale seismic survey & seabed coring study having been carried out in the area in connection with an offshore wind farm
So, I checked that story out too
And yes, a very large seismic survey was indeed carried out for a "huge offshore wind farm project" with the bulk of the work planned to conclude last year
But, as is typical for such things, it had to be completed this year due to bad weather delaying and/or postponing parts of the work last year - very believable in that part of the NE Atlantic
I remember from my time in the oil industry how the media, activists, politicians etc were all over seismic surveys related to hydrocarbons - there was even a poster of a dolphin below a derrick with a drill hitting it's head and blood spouting from the derrick a la "gusher", a crude/cheap shot, but effective and imaginative I have to admit no matter how false or hyperbolic
But I have to ask, why the reticence to blame a "green project"? Why aren't the seismic and coring surveys for offshore wind farms being cited as "whale killers"? Why are the poor old Orcas being blamed instead?
I asked my daughter about the wind farm related seismic operations and IF they could possibly have contributed to the unfortunate events
Her reply? "Come on dad, you of all people ought to know that they'll never say that"
I was gobsmacked! It couldn't be that the media etc "report" according to an agenda, could it?
As my daughter is finishing her degree in marine biology, and one of her core modules is marine mammal studies, I asked her about possible causes
Straight away she replied "oil & gas seismic surveys are the number one possible cause"
Well, as a former oil & gas geologist I had heard that line before
So, I looked into it myself by checking the NSTA website and other info sources which typically list, monitor or discuss such activities but found nothing
In fact the latest large scale O&G seismic survey I could find that had been conducted in that area was concluded in 2016. Most other surveys being more localised close to already operational facilities much further to the north
On the bbc site the commentator suggests that the whales could have been "panicked by killer whales" - which is of course possible
As far as I could easily see, just two newspapers (Times & DM) carried the story and mentioned a large scale seismic survey & seabed coring study having been carried out in the area in connection with an offshore wind farm
So, I checked that story out too
And yes, a very large seismic survey was indeed carried out for a "huge offshore wind farm project" with the bulk of the work planned to conclude last year
But, as is typical for such things, it had to be completed this year due to bad weather delaying and/or postponing parts of the work last year - very believable in that part of the NE Atlantic
I remember from my time in the oil industry how the media, activists, politicians etc were all over seismic surveys related to hydrocarbons - there was even a poster of a dolphin below a derrick with a drill hitting it's head and blood spouting from the derrick a la "gusher", a crude/cheap shot, but effective and imaginative I have to admit no matter how false or hyperbolic
But I have to ask, why the reticence to blame a "green project"? Why aren't the seismic and coring surveys for offshore wind farms being cited as "whale killers"? Why are the poor old Orcas being blamed instead?
I asked my daughter about the wind farm related seismic operations and IF they could possibly have contributed to the unfortunate events
Her reply? "Come on dad, you of all people ought to know that they'll never say that"
I was gobsmacked! It couldn't be that the media etc "report" according to an agenda, could it?
