Seismic Airgun Blasting: Overview

Seismic airgun blasting in search of oil and gas is shortsighted and dangerous. Seismic airguns create one of the loudest manmade sounds in the ocean. During seismic surveys, ships pull large arrays of airguns that release loud pressurized blasts of air through the ocean and into the seafloor. Noise from airguns can disturb, injure or kill marine animals from zooplankton, the base of the food web, to large whales. 

Seismic airguns produce loud, repetitive sounds that can travel underwater up to 2,500 miles. Blasts are repeated as often as every 10 seconds for days, weeks or months at a time.

Airgun noise can reduce catch rates for fish and disrupt essential behaviors in marine mammals, like dolphins and whales. For marine animals, sound plays an essential role in feeding, mating, communicating and avoiding predators.

We will not stop in the fight to protect our coast from the expansion of dirty and dangerous offshore drilling and exploration.

The following map shows the groundswell of opposition to expanded offshore drilling activities.