GEORGE NEWS - A group of locals made their voices heard in Wilderness on Sunday 5 December when they took part in a nationwide protest against the seismic exploration off the Wild Coast in search of oil or gas deposits by the multinational petroleum company Shell.
The protests also went abroad as a group of South Africans in the UK converged outside the South African High Commission in Trafalgar Square.
This follows a decision on 3 December by the High Court in Makhanda to give the petroleum company the green light to proceed with its seismic survey. Acting Judge Avinash Govindjee, of the Eastern Cape division of the high court, dismissed the application for an urgent interdict, which was brought on an extremely urgent basis by the Border Deep Sea Angling Association, Kei Mouth Ski Boat Club, Natural Justice and Greenpeace Africa, to try to stop Shell's four- to five-month seismic exploration from going ahead on 1 December.
Shell recently announced plans to do this survey within its Transkei exploration area in an area of about 6 011km² between Port St Johns and Morgan's Bay.
Residents from across George gathered in protest.
The vessel that is being used will drag up to 48 air guns methodically through this area, firing extremely loud shock wave emissions that penetrate through 3km of water and 40km into the Earth's crust below the seabed.
The ship will work around the clock, firing the air guns every 10 seconds, and many sea creatures could be affected in the coming months - whales, dolphins, seals, penguins, sharks, turtles and even crabs and tiny shellfish will be blasted.
Lexi Gouws threw her weight behind the cause. Photos: Jeff Ayliffe
Impact of seismic blasting on marine animals
"We are completely opposed to seismic surveys for oil and gas anywhere along the South African coastline, as this disrupts, and could destroy, healthy marine ecosystems," said Val Marsh of Stranded Marine Animal Rescue Team (Smart) in Mossel Bay. "There is no proof that marine life won't be harmed, no matter what the experts say. How can they possibly know?"
According to her, these individual blasts can reach more than 250 decibels and can impact marine species by causing loss of hearing, disturbing feeding and breeding, masking communication between individual whales and dolphins, and increasing death of adult and larval zooplankton, among other health and productivity disruptions of our marine ecosystems.
A survey ship with multiple air guns fires continuous blasts of compressed air into the ocean, creating high-energy sound pulses that penetrate and bounce off the geology beneath the seafloor. The reflected sound waves are picked up by the sensors towed behind the vessel, painting a picture of potential oil and gas deposits.
According to Janet Solomon of Oceans not Oil, the driving force behind the protests that took place at more than 69 spots in the country on Sunday, it is not only marine life that will suffer, but also people who are dependent on the ocean for survival.
"These seismic surveys do great harm to the marine bio-web across the board, from creating hearing loss in fish all the way through to destroying planktonic life. There'll be baby turtles in the Agulhas migrating at this time. They won't be able to escape the seismic surveys. This area of the sea is also extremely sacred to people who live there and they certainly won't want oil and gas in the sea.
"Fisheries will also be compromised as fish will be scared away from the area. The harms are deep and they run wide," she said.
Oceans Not Oil is a non-profit organisation comprising a coalition of individuals and organisations that stand against South Africa's continued fossil fuel dependence and call for a moratorium on all offshore oil and gas development.
The network facilitates and supports any public voice raised against the impacts of escalating reconnaissance / prospecting activities in the form of seismic surveys and exploration wells on our coastline.
Although Shell is, for now, free to proceed with its seismic survey, many environmental and human rights organisations continue their battle to prevent it from continuing.
Second application
Meanwhile the petrol giant's plan to survey the Wild Coast will have to jump another hurdle and the battle continues as a separate urgent application has been filed this week - this time by coastal and fishing communities and traditional healers and leaders.
Locals made their voices heard next to the N2 near Wilderness beach on Sunday morning. Photo: Jeff Ayliffe
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