Canadian Fishing Industry Fears Seismic Testing on Georges Bank Fishing Grounds

Georges Bank is one of the most unique and productive marine environments and fishing grounds between Cape Cod and Labrador. In addition to the findings of recent scientific studies from the governments of Canada and Norway, anecdotal experiences from groundfish fishermen and boat captains are generating growing concerns that the $200 million commercial fishery on the Canadian portion of Georges Bank will be under threat.

“This is simply one of the best fishing grounds in the world,” says Claude d’Entremont of West Pubnico, who has been active in this fishery for more than 40 years. “The total biomass is phenomenal.” He adds, “A lot of the species we fish spawn here and disruptive seismic testing could disturb spawning, could affect larvae and juveniles and could displace the catchable fish we have quotas for.”

The U.S. portion of Georges Bank has been under a defacto oil and gas moratorium for decades and the current moratorium on the Canadian portion is being reconsidered now, with a decision on next steps due by June 30, 2010.

The most recent published report on the effects of seismic testing does not bode well for the effects on ground fish or lobsters. Professor Linda Weigart of Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia is a noted authority on whales and noise pollution. “There is no reason to believe that damage done to whales and lobsters by seismic testing would not harm groundfish also,” Dr. Weigart said.

Fishermen and boat captains operating in waters near oil and gas exploration off the coast of Newfoundland have seen marked disturbances in cod schools during periods where seismic testing was occurring nearby. Captain Ernest Symes operates a 150-foot vessel there and notes that “a standard trawl tow of up to 30,000 pounds was consistently reduced to less than 500 pounds in the wake of a seismic run.”

Alain d’Entremont of Marro Management oversees the harvesting of 2.5 million pounds of groundfish quota on Georges Bank, and is growing more concerned as the time draws near for a decision by the Federal and Nova Scotia governments. The oil industry is clearly trying to convince government to end the moratorium, even though the presence of oil or gas is far from certain.

It is a direction that flies in the face of the available science, according to d’Entremont and places at risk an entire industry. d’Entremont says, “Seismic blasts or an oil spill can kill fish larvae floating in the area, and undermine years of effort made to rebuild our groundfish stocks.” He adds, “Georges Bank is a special and unique place, with fish and shellfish spawning 12 months of the year. Why would we ever risk damaging or destroying our renewable resources?”

Adding to the threat from seismic testing is the recent revelation that the current technology for exploration and production of offshore oil and gas is not as safe as many have been alleging. “The recent horrific spill of millions of litres of oil from the West Atlas Montara exploration platform off the coast of Australia adds to the growing concerns of our members,” says Groundfish Enterprise Allocation Council (GEAC) Executive Director Bruce Chapman. (bchapman@ sympatico.ca)