Editorial Comment

	Vol. 225 No. 8
PERRY A. FISCHER, EDITOR

Wail and blubber blabber. There now exist dozens of scientific studies investigating the effects of seismic surveying on marine mammals. There are only a few anecdotal cases of harm or death, possibly caused by military use of sonar and scientific use of higher-frequency seismic sources. To date, there is no evidence of any harm to marine mammals due to oilfield-type seismic surveying. Moreover, there is no hint of evidence whatsoever that seismic surveying harms marine mammal populations. So, in the absence of real harm, there has been a shift in emphasis toward investigating behavioral changes. This has generally been difficult to ascertain, to the point of showing that a whale even acknowledges the existence of a seismic vessel.

I attended a presentation, sponsored by the International Geophysical Contractors Association, of a recent study on the effects of seismic acquisition on whales. John Hughes, chief operations geophysicist for Santos, gave a good account of research that took place near Kangaroo Island offshore southern Australia, in the Otway basin. In addition to the acquisition vessel towing seismic streamers and a typical airgun array, there was a spotter plane above and some autonomous seafloor sensors below. There were 50 whales of various types spotted, but mostly Blue, sited in many pods and settings, typically feeding on krill, their favorite food. Although there was ample krill elsewhere, these whales went about their business, seemingly oblivious to the nearby seismic acquisition vessel.

In the last two years, a spate of regulations has sprouted in various areas worldwide. These have resulted in new positions of dedicated Marine Mammal Observers, slow startups, shutdowns and long delays in seismic acquisition. More regulations are in the offing, calling for passive listening devices to (hopefully) hear the squeaks and clicks of marine mammals, all of which will increase acquisition costs 5% to 10%, not to mention the effect on E&P cycle time. Far from fighting this, the seismic industry is contributing men and money to research efforts – they don't want to see marine mammals harmed either. But “misssion creep” is starting to become worrisome.

Over the coming years, millions of dollars will be spent in an attempt to establish whether whales are being harassed – even for a few minutes – at least enough to change their swimming direction or temporarily stop what they are doing. Researchers had better hurry. Whales are smart, and they can quickly learn that these seismic vessels pose them no harm, and so, become acclimated. Unfortunately, this sort of intense concern is not afforded to the species, Homo sapiens.

A glaring example now in the news is the recent warning about eating mercury-laden fish. The rules and language of both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration options are too lengthy and involved to present here, but both agencies are doing everything that they can to minimize the already minimal proposals that would alert the public and take decisive action to reduce mercury levels in humans.

Mercury is pervasive in the environment, accumulating through natural and, increasingly, manmade sources since before Roman times. It takes several thousand years for levels to diminish. It can kill you. It's been a long time since the insane behavior of “mad hatters” was determined to be from the mercury they used to soften felt. Nowadays, it is known that even small amounts of mercury have serious effects, especially on infants and prospective mothers. The March of Dimes states, “At high ingested doses, it can disrupt organization of nerve cells in the brain before and after birth, leading to severe mental retardation, blindness, deafness and chronic seizure disorders. Chronic, moderate- and even low-level methylmercury exposure before birth is associated with developmental delays and decreases in attention, memory, intelligence, language ability and motor skills.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 8% of US women of childbearing age are exposed to mercury at levels above the EPA's Reference Dose, a level that is deemed safe for a human fetus. In February 2004, EPA's own data analysis shows that each year, as many as 630,000 newborn babies are exposed to unsafe levels of mercury.

Among the many possible mercury sources, a primary, controllable source is coal burning. The mercury comes in the first drops of rain and gets in the aquatic food supply by moving up the food chain, resulting in higher concentrations in the larger, older fish, such as Tuna (especially Albacore) and Swordfish, as well as freshwater species such as Drum fish, Largemouth Bass, Striped Bass, Pike and Walleye. In the absence of national or international standards, states are setting their own limits and policies. For example, the Texas Department of Health warns people not to eat more than two 8-oz servings per month (in some cases, one 8-oz serving) of certain fish taken from several lakes and streams, while children should not eat more than two 4-oz servings per month (in some cases, one 4-oz serving). This is a real disappointment if you like to fish and eat fish.

The situation is so absurd that the March of Dimes and other do-gooder organizations may find it much easier to get mercury-reduction legislation passed due to possible harm to marine mammals, than to get it passed because of certain harm to humans. Adults, children, fetuses – these are expendable. Aggravating a whale for 10 minutes – that's intolerable. Only political logic and its evil cousins – payola and political contributions – can turn the world upside down this way.

At least the Japanese – with their mouth-watering “scientific whale harvesting” – together with the Norwegians, who simply harpoon them without pretense, understand the basics: they know who sits at the top of the food chain. Or, as they like to put it, “Screw the Inter-national Whaling Commission, let's eat!”

I'll even go so far as to predict that one day, a seismic survey/ whale study will be underway – being careful not to come within two miles of a whale so as not to disturb it even slightly – when along will come a Japanese whaling ship and kill it until it dies. Adding to the absurdity, most of the whales thus harvested have mercury levels far in excess of Japanese standards for consumption.

How whales became more valued than people, I can only guess. Perhaps it is because we have romanticized these magnificent leviathans too much, in works such as Free Willy and Moby Dick, where we cheer for the whale in its plight against the evil humans. I do not know. Call me Fishmeal.