Seismic Blasting Off Jersey Shore Postponed Until Next Year

By Patricia A. Miller

Members of Clean Ocean Action and other opponents of seismic blasting got a breather Thursday when testing advocates announced there was not enough time to meet the required study deadline of Aug. 17, COA Executive Director Cindy Zipf said.

“It is a victory for marine life this summer, and for the state of New Jersey and thousands of citizens that have rallied to their defense,” Zipf said. “The coastal economy won’t be a victim of Rutgers’ seismic blasting off our coast…this year.”

Rutgers University, the National Science Foundation, Columbia University and the University of Texas decided to postpone the Rutgers-led geological survey in progress off the Jersey shore this summer by the R/V Marcus G. Langseth, since the study cannot meet the required 30 days completion, Zipf said.

Researchers at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the National Science Foundation want to study sea floor sediments to track historical changes in sea level from 60 million years ago through the present.

But that would involve using seismic airguns to shoot blasts of compressed air deep into the seabed, similar to the process used to locate buried oil and gas deposits.

The blasting would last for 720 hours over a 30-day period and would impact 26 marine mammals species, including bottlenose dolphins, whales and sea turtles. It would also affect vital coastal industries, including commercial and recreational fisheries and tourism, Clean Ocean Action has said.

“However, we are stunned that the National Science Foundation, Rutgers and others are going to try again next year given the many members of Congress, the State of NJ, NJ State legislators, fishing, diving, tourism, ocean advocacy organizations, and nearly 20,000 petition signers have opposed the project,” Zipf said in a release.

But the postponement will give environmentalists and marine advocates more time to prepare for next year.

“They blindsided us last time, but now time is on our side and we will demand that the permitting process have robust congressional and state oversight and ample time for public review,” Zipf said. “We, the people, will be prepared and organized to advocate on behalf of New Jersey marine life to stop this dangerous experiment.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently denied New Jersey’s request to review the Rutgers University led seismic study off Barnegat Inlet for agreement with state regulations.