It was not so long ago that the unimaginable expanse of the ocean was considered so large that it was impervious to human impacts. Fish were thought to be an inexhaustible resource, and there seemed to be ample water volume…
Our last newsletter about a private meeting between Government officials and the oil industry seems to have struck some nerves – in our community, and in the governmental officials who are either backpedaling, or sheepishly looking at the corners of…
Last week the Governor Pat McCrory of North Carolina called a closed meeting to discuss drilling plans for the coast off his state. Gov. McCrory is an elected official of the state of N. Carolina, so what he does with…
Earlier this year a paper by Christne Erbe et.al was published in the open source Public Library of Science (PLoS-One) that frames ocean noise exposures in a sensible and informative manner. For various adaptive reasons animals are sensitive to sounds…
Noise impacts come in two flavors: Noise that is too loud, and noise that sounds awful. There is a degree of subjectivity under the “awful” category. For example; the awful din of your neighbor’s barking dog probably doesn’t meet their…
Advancing technologies in offshore oil and gas extraction are allowing fossil fuel extractors to venture into ever deeper waters, and drill even deeper wells. Extraction and production operations are happening at water depths of up to two miles, and bore-hole…
In the early years of the ocean noise discussion there were heated debates about whether or not introduced noise was really harmful to marine life. Our understanding was shallow and the tools blunt. Even when animals washed ashore deafened, dead,…
It seems as if the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has been taking some heat on their “Record of Decision” on paving the way to Geophysical and Geological (G&G) surveys in the Mid and South Atlantic. It was just…
Come on out to Fairfax for Blue Drinks – Ocean Conservation Research edition! When: Tuesday August 19, 5:30pm onward Where: Iron Springs Brewpub, 765 Center Blvd. Fairfax, CA Why?: Iron Springs sponsors a “Give Back Tuesdays” each week. 10%…