AGENDA FOR AGC-IADC MMPA/Offshore Legal Issues Workshop

(Thursday, October 25, 2018 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM EST)
TGS,  10451 Clay Rd. , Houston, TX 77041

The International Association of Geophysical Contractors posted the following on the IAGC website:

“The IAGC and IADC are jointly holding an MMPA Workshop on 25 October 2018. The workshop will highlight the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and how it impacts access and exploration within the U.S. and international implications.

IOGP Environmental Performance Indicators Report Available

The International Association of Oil and Gas Producers distributed the following release about theirIOGP Report 2017e – Environmental Performance Indicators, 2017 data:

“We are pleased to announce the publication a new report.

Part of IOGP’s Data Series, this report summarises information on exploration and production (E&P) activities carried out by contributing IOGP member companies in 2017. IOGP has collected environmental data from its member companies every year since 1999. The objective of this programme has been to allow member companies to compare their performance with other companies in the sector leading, it is hoped, to improved and more efficient performance. The programme also contributes to the industry’s wish to be more transparent about its operations.

Free Books !!!!

The Discovery of Sound in the Sea distributed and posted the following release about their free distribution of books:

“The Discovery of Sound in the Sea (DOSITS) Project is pleased to announce that the DOSITS electronic books (in iBooks format) will be available to download for FREE through the iTunes store for macOS and iOS (iPad and iPhone) until October 31, 2018. To view sample pages and access the books via an iTunes link, please visit the DOSITS website at dosits.org/book/.

Discovery of Sound in the Sea Book I: Importance of Sound in the Sea focuses on sound in the ocean, both natural and human produced, and contains DOSITS content on topics related to marine animal sound production and reception and use of sound, along with a chapter on the potential effects of human produced sounds on marine animals.

JIP Research Studies Available

The International Association of Oil and Gas Producers’ E & P Sound & Marine Life Joint Industry Programme states that it

“supports research to help increase understanding of the effect of sound on marine life generated by oil and gas exploration and production activity.  The research helps governments make regulatory decisions based on the best science and the industry develop effective mitigation strategies.  This helps us supply much needed energy to people around the world.”

The JIP research studies are available here.

 

 

Underwater Acoustics: 2018 Webinar Series for the International Regulatory Community

The last two webinars of this four-part series will focus on topics related to fishes.

  • Craig Radfordwill provide a review of Sound Production and Reception in Teleost Fishes on Tuesday, November 13, 2018 at 12:00pm EDT
  • Arthur Popperwill provide a review of the Potential Effects of Sound on Marine Fishes on Tuesday, November 27, 2018 at 12:00pm EDT

Interested individuals must register in advance for each webinar. Register here.

 

 

A Cornucopia of Research on Understanding  the Co-existence  of Oil and Gas Exploration and  Marine Life

Background

CRE has become aware of an invaluable source of information on oil and gas exploration as it relates to marine life. The information is made available through the research of the Joint Industry Programme presented on this website. CRE’s interest in the program is a result of the programme’s focus on providing  sound scientific information to support regulatory decisions.

The JIP states:

In 2006 a group of international oil and gas companies committed to uniting their resources to fund a research programme to improve understanding of the potential physicial and behavioural effects of the sound created by finding and producing oil and gas or different forms of marine life. This Joint Industry Programme (JIP) is the most extensive industry research programme in this field.

“ANP Launches Environmental Database”

The Brazilian Natural oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency published the above-captioned press release, which reads in part as follows:

“The National Oil, Natural Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANP) launched on Tuesday (25/9), during Rio Oil & Gas, the Environmental Database, which brings together, on a single basis, research data related to the environmental licensing during the oil exploration and production phases. The project is a partnership between the Agency and IBAMA.

The objective is for the ANP to collaborate with IBAMA in the process of granting environmental licenses, as it broadens access to reliable and georeferenced technical data.

NMFS Issues IHA to Navy ONR for Research in Beaufort and Chukchi

The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service has issued an incidental harassment authorization to the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research to incidentally harass, by Level Bharassment only, marine mammals during research activities associated

with the Arctic Research Activities project in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. The Navy’s activities are considered military readiness activities pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act. MPA, as amended by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004. This Authorization is effective from September 20, 2018, through September 19, 2019.

Click here for more details and relevant links.

 

 

Comment on NMFS’ New User Manual for Marine Sound Technical Guidance

The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service seeks public comment on NMFS’ User Manual for Optional User Spreadsheet Tool (Version 2.0) for NMFS’ 2018 Revisions to Technical Guidance for Assessing the Effects of Anthropogenic Sound on Marine

Mammal Hearing: Underwater Acoustic Thresholds for Onset of Permanent and

Temporary Threshold Shifts (2018 Revised Technical Guidance). This User

Manual provides detailed instruction sand examples on how to use NMFS’ optional User Spreadsheet tool, which incorporates the 2018 Revised Technical

Guidance’s acoustic threshold levels to determine whether and how sound-producing activities are expected to result in hearing impacts to marine mammals.

Seismic Survey Video

The International Association of Geophysical Contractors posted this YouTube video about marine seismic surveys,