The surf coast and Colac Otway Shire community are celebrating a win for wildlife after the offshore regulator, NOPSEMA, rejected a plan to conduct seismic testing in the ecologically sensitive Otway Basin, off the Victorian coast.
NOPSEMA found that French company CGG’s environmental plan did not adequately address impacts from the seismic blasting on marine life. The regulator outlined several areas of concern including:
- The potential for pygmy whales to be displaced from foraging areas.
- A risk of behavioural disturbances to fish that could compromise an orange roughy research project.
- Whether the proposal is consistent with the Blue Whale Conservation Management Plan.
- Whether the proposal aligns with the Southern Right Whale National Recovery Plan.
The impact of seismic blasting on marine animals such as whales can include damage to the sensors that they use to hear, ability to communicate through their electro-frequencies, stress, displacement from habitat, physical injuries and death.
In recent years EDO has been assisting several organisations, including Australian Marine Conservation Society and Surfrider Foundation, in relation to offshore gas projects in the Otway Basin – providing support for community and environmental groups to participate in stakeholder consultation processes to minimise impacts on the marine environment.
This latest success follows another in 2024 when a separate proposal was abandoned by energy data company TGS. Initially Australia’s largest seismic testing proposal, the project met fierce community opposition and NOPSEMA received more than 30,000 submissions during the consultation.
However, there are more proposals for gas exploration in the Australia’s south-east oceans currently before the regulator and the Federal Government recently released five new exploration areas in the Otway Basin. We will continue to assist the local community to stand up for this important marine environment.
