- hot-spots
- biodiversity
- Australia
- Seismic blasting plans threaten to disrupt whale migration superhighway in North-west Australia
Seismic blasting plans threaten to disrupt whale migration superhighway in North-west Australia
Australia
last update:
last monthProblems
Woodside’s seismic blasting to assess fossil fuel gas
The pristine waters of North-west Australia are home to one of the most remarkable marine phenomena on the planet: the annual migration of humpback whales. Each year, these majestic creatures embark on a journey of thousands of kilometers, traveling from the cold feeding grounds of Antarctica to the warm breeding waters of the Kimberley region. This migration corridor, often called the “whale migration superhighway,” is crucial for the species' survival. However, it is now under threat due to proposed seismic blasting activities in the area. Gas company Woodside is pushing ahead with the Burrup Hub, the country's most environmentally damaging infrastructure proposal. This extensive gas export project will be situated off Western Australia's North West coast, intersecting marine parks and whale migration routes and endangering the incredible marine biodiversity in these waters. Woodside plans a seismic blasting to assess fossil fuel gas reserves for its controversial project. Greenpeace's report, Blasting the Ocean: Woodside's dangerous seismic plan, found that Woodside's plans skirt close to a major migration route for pygmy blue whales and the UNESCO-protected Ningaloo Reef. Plan for seismic blasting close to a whale migration "superhighway" off the coast of North Western Australia poses an unacceptable risk to endangered whale species and could threaten local tourism. The vast majority of marine life in Australia’s southeast waters is found nowhere else on Earth, including 85% of fish, 95% of mollusks, 90% of echinoderms, and 65% of seaweeds. If we lose them from the southeast, it’s gone from the planet forever. Seismic blasting uses underwater air cannons to shoot powerful sound waves at the sea floor to locate fossil fuel deposits. The noise is louder than that of a jet plane and can seriously damage the whales' hearing. A deaf whale is a dead whale. After a series of court cases, in 2023 Woodside was once again been given the all-clear to carry out seismic testing for its massive Scarborough project off the Pilbara coast after an earlier approval was ruled invalid by the Federal Court. The company plans to use blasts of air fired at the ocean floor to identify gas reserves, which helps Woodside know where to extract gas. However, some scientists have raised concerns about its potential to have subtle but critical impacts on ocean life. The call to protect the whale migration superhighway is growing louder, with conservation groups, scientists, and the public voicing their concerns. It is a call for responsible action, for the recognition of the intrinsic value of our natural world, and for the preservation of a spectacle that has graced the oceans for millennia. The humpback whales’ journey is more than just a migration; it is a testament to the wonder of the natural world, and our responsibility is to ensure that it continues unimpeded for generations to come.
Gallery
3
Timelines
2025
January 31
The Australian Greens and The Greens (WA) have today issued a joint call for a seismic blasting moratorium in Western Australian and Commonwealth waters. The call comes as fossil fuel giant Woodside gears up to pressure the state and federal government to allow the company to seismic blast in endangered blue whale habitat and feeding grounds at the pristine Scott Reef off the Kimberley coast -- an activity that contradicts government funding to study the Australian Indigenous songlines to better protect Australia’s whales and dolphins, including tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Woodside’s seismic blasting plans at Scott Reef were revealed earlier this month in an application by the company to the Federal Environment Department. In the document, the fossil fuel giant divulged its plan to carry out ongoing seismic blasting as part of its application to dump carbon under the seabed at the pristine coral reef, using risky and untested carbon capture and storage (CCS) practices never tried before in Australian waters. Woodside details the potential risks its planned activities at Scott Reef pose to endangered Blue Whales and four species of endangered and vulnerable sea turtles, acknowledging possible “direct or indirect impacts” from seismic blasting, drilling, subsea fluid discharges, unplanned discharges of hazardous waste or a hydrocarbon (condensate) spill. Woodside concedes that modelling for “underwater noise emissions” from seismic blasting indicated that “fauna injury/mortality is predicted if individuals remain close to the source for a long period of time,” which the fossil fuel giant claims is “considered highly unlikely.”
2023
Fossil fuel company Woodside Energy’s controversial plan to conduct seismic blasting on endangered whale habitat was approved by the offshore regulator NOPSEMA, just two months after a Federal Court threw out its previous approval.
2022
Greenpeace Australia Pacific released a report titled “Blasting the Ocean: Woodside’s dangerous seismic plan,” which warns that Woodside’s plans pose an unacceptable risk to endangered whale species and local tourism, especially the pygmy blue whales that migrate along the North West coast of Australia.
2021
Woodside proposes conducting a four-dimensional (4D) baseline marine seismic survey (MSS) over the Scarborough, North Scarborough, and Jupiter gas fields within Commonwealth waters in the Carnarvon Basin.
2020
Woodside Energy Ltd.’s development proposal for the offshore sector of its Scarborough project was approved by Australia’s NOPSEMA following the authority’s assessment of the potential environmental impacts over the project's life.
2019
Australia’s National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) released Woodside Energy Ltd.’s proposed Scarborough field development plan for public comment.
