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RECENT NEWS
LIVING OCEAN CHALLENGES PLAN TO GO AHEAD AND DRILL FOR GAS IN THE PEP11 ZONE -PITTWATER LIFE APRIL 2020
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Coastal protection group Living Ocean has condemned steps that could see a gas rig activated off the NSW coastline within the next few years.
Exploration company Asset Energy owns the controversial PEP11 lease covering 4,576 sq.km of the offshore Sydney Basin, from Newcastle to Manly. It describes PEP11 as “a high impact exploration project” and “one of the most significant untested gas plays in Australia”.
Asset Energy completed seismic testing south east of Newcastle in 2018; it’s current lease permit expires in March 2021.
The National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator (NOPTA) confirmed to Pittwater Life that it had received an application last December “requesting additional time to complete its work program commitments and to vary the current conditions of the permit”.
The variation would enable drilling without further seismic testing.
Asset Energy’s application proposes the extension of the permit title for up to two years. The company says it is moving to be drill-ready in 2020.
Living Ocean President Robbi Luscombe-Newman condemned the move.
“Many of the seismic-related issues we had raised re PEP11 apply equally to offshore gas drilling,” Robbi said. “The PEP11 zone is spread right across the ocean’s largest humpback whale migration route and Living Ocean’s unique research has shown drilling activity would be detrimental to these marine mammals in terms of habitat denial, behaviour and breeding success.
“Underwater noise at high volume can drown out the famous mating songs of humpbacks and creates a virtual ‘fence’ that is known to affect a wide range of other ocean creatures as well. Little is known about marine ecosystems in the area, and further research may highlight further impacts to a wider range of species.
“Further, Living Ocean has shown that predominant currents along our east coast would direct any byproduct or waste from drilling and industry directly down onto the Sydney coastline. More powerful east coast lows would also increase this hazard potential.”
Living Ocean dismissed Asset Energy’s position that “previously observed mapped prospects and leads were highly prospective for gas”.
“Australia is the largest exporter of gas in the world – there is no gas crisis on the east coast of Australia,” Robbi said. “It’s a marketing and management issue. Gas is not a realistic transition fuel.
“Also, no major oil or gas firm has taken up interest in the PEP11 zone due to issues with drilling into highly fragile sandstone.
“With its deep feelers in the community, Living Ocean knows the community would never accept offshore drilling on this part of the coast.”
A NOPTA spokesman told Pittwater Life: “A decision on the application is yet to be made; NOPTA has requested further information from Asset Energy.
“Following receipt of all required information, NOPTA anticipates it will take about four weeks to complete its assessment.”
Living Ocean was due to testify this month at a Senate inquiry into seismic testing in Australia, now postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. – Nigel Wall
Exploration company Asset Energy owns the controversial PEP11 lease covering 4,576 sq.km of the offshore Sydney Basin, from Newcastle to Manly. It describes PEP11 as “a high impact exploration project” and “one of the most significant untested gas plays in Australia”.
Asset Energy completed seismic testing south east of Newcastle in 2018; it’s current lease permit expires in March 2021.
The National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator (NOPTA) confirmed to Pittwater Life that it had received an application last December “requesting additional time to complete its work program commitments and to vary the current conditions of the permit”.
The variation would enable drilling without further seismic testing.
Asset Energy’s application proposes the extension of the permit title for up to two years. The company says it is moving to be drill-ready in 2020.
Living Ocean President Robbi Luscombe-Newman condemned the move.
“Many of the seismic-related issues we had raised re PEP11 apply equally to offshore gas drilling,” Robbi said. “The PEP11 zone is spread right across the ocean’s largest humpback whale migration route and Living Ocean’s unique research has shown drilling activity would be detrimental to these marine mammals in terms of habitat denial, behaviour and breeding success.
“Underwater noise at high volume can drown out the famous mating songs of humpbacks and creates a virtual ‘fence’ that is known to affect a wide range of other ocean creatures as well. Little is known about marine ecosystems in the area, and further research may highlight further impacts to a wider range of species.
“Further, Living Ocean has shown that predominant currents along our east coast would direct any byproduct or waste from drilling and industry directly down onto the Sydney coastline. More powerful east coast lows would also increase this hazard potential.”
Living Ocean dismissed Asset Energy’s position that “previously observed mapped prospects and leads were highly prospective for gas”.
“Australia is the largest exporter of gas in the world – there is no gas crisis on the east coast of Australia,” Robbi said. “It’s a marketing and management issue. Gas is not a realistic transition fuel.
“Also, no major oil or gas firm has taken up interest in the PEP11 zone due to issues with drilling into highly fragile sandstone.
“With its deep feelers in the community, Living Ocean knows the community would never accept offshore drilling on this part of the coast.”
A NOPTA spokesman told Pittwater Life: “A decision on the application is yet to be made; NOPTA has requested further information from Asset Energy.
“Following receipt of all required information, NOPTA anticipates it will take about four weeks to complete its assessment.”
Living Ocean was due to testify this month at a Senate inquiry into seismic testing in Australia, now postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. – Nigel Wall
CRAIG BROWN FROM RADIO NORTHERN BEACHES INTERVIEWS LIVING OCEAN PRESIDENT ROBBI NEWMAN ABOUT THE ORGANISATION.
Robbi Newman
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Craig Brown
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LIVING OCEAN DEVELOPS WORLD CLASS APPLICATION FOR SMARTPHONES AND OTHER DEVICES TO TRACK OCEAN LIFE
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WHALE MIGRATION BEHAVIOUR Living Ocean’s humpback research focuses on the behaviour of large numbers of whales in a limited geographic area, calling for specialised software to facilitate data recording. Bill Fulton, who leads Living Ocean’s Centre for Marine Studies, has developed Behayve, a unique smartphone app that non-invasively tracks whales, records their behaviour and, using a wireless link to ship’s instruments, captures the environmental conditions they experience. Commonwealth and State scientific licenses also allow drone (UAV) observation and recording. Availability of Behayve to researchers worldwide was announced at the World Marine Mammal Conference in Barcelona on 7 December 2019. The app is configurable for scientific studies on a wide range of terrestrial and marine animals. |
RESEARCH PAYS OFF FOR LOCAL ENVIRONMENT GROUP
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Northern Beaches environmental group Living Ocean has seen a long-term research effort rewarded with the offer of a full partnership with several international universities investigating climate change.
Since 2004 Living Ocean research volunteers under government licence have put to sea tracking the humpback whales that migrate annually along our coast. A huge database has been amassed, drawing the attention of a consortium of Australian and South African universities modelling the effects of climate change on southern hemisphere humpback whales. These whales are known to have a significant impact on the health of our oceans. Dr Olaf Meynecke, Research Fellow at Griffith University Research & Project Management Whales & Climate, said, ‘We are excited that Living Ocean joins our international research project on whales and climate. Their detailed, long term data will help with the development of models to forecast the consequences of climate change on humpback whales for the east coast of Australia. We are very much looking forward to our collaboration’. Living Ocean’s research arm focuses on citizen science programs designed by universities and carried out by community volunteers. Bill Fulton, its head of research, recalled standing on a headland in 2003 watching whales pass by and wondering what influenced the paths they chose. “I knew this data would turn out to be useful, but never dreamt it would cast light on climate change, an existential threat to life on earth”, he said. |
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS OF THE FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY TO CONTINUE ACTIVITIES IN OUR OCEANS CAUSE SERIOUS CONCERNS
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THE PEP11 ZONE SYDNEY TO NEWCASTLE - proposed 3d testing & gas/oil mining
This from one of many print media articles regarding the issue:
"We are concerned about the long-term effects of any industrialisation of the seabed and surrounding coastline,” says Robbi Luscombe-Newman, co-founder and CEO of Northern Beaches-based not-for-profit conservation group Living Ocean, which works with government agencies, marine scientists and independent corporations. “This would create a de facto fence causing alteration for some migrating fish stocks. In just one example our data collected by Living Oceans Bill Fultons special application over 10 years shows returning humpback mums and bubs have established migration paths very close to the coastline and this will impede those migration paths and drive them offshore where they are exposed to predators.” "Tim Buckley, Director of Energy Finance Studies at IEEFA in Sydney says this proposal looks entirely unjustifiable. The cartel running the Australian gas industry has been entirely effective at perpetrating a total con against the people of Australia. Singing the tune that ever more gas production is needed to lower gas prices is a pure fiction. East coast gas production has trebled since 2010, and domestic Australian gas prices have trebled in the same timeframe. This proposal puts the gains of a private vested interest minnow ahead of the interests of the all Sydney siders and flies in the face of the facts requiring an orderly transition away from our economic and political fossil fuel addiction."
Tim Buckley, Director of Energy Finance Studies, IEEFA, Sydney. timabuckley@outlook.com |
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HUMPBACK WHALE RESEARCH & SEISMIC TESTS FOR GAS & OILLiving Ocean's unique whale & Humpback research demonstrated the vulnerability of whales, dolphins and marine life during proposed seismic testing for gas off Sydney's Northern Beaches during northern and southern migration of Humpback Whales. Our submission to NOPSEMA postponed last September's test. However the testing resumed this April just prior to the 2018 northern migration.
Living Ocean has also screened the documentary Sonic Sea which is a wake up call as to the damage sound generated by humans is creating in all our oceans. There was a lot of community concern regarding Seismic Testing for gas, proposed in the PEP 11 area just offshore from Sydney's Northern Beaches up to Newcastle as indicated in the illustration attached (the yellow arrow). The best way to understand this issue is to view the documentary Sonic Sea online: https://www.sonicsea.org/watch-now Contact your local Federal member to express concerns about ongoing oil and gas in all our coastal waters. It's important to realise the immediate and ongoing impact this industrial developement will have if it is developed off our coastline from here to Newcastle. |
LIVING OCEAN HELPS FUND SEABIRD RESEARCH & PLASTIC AND PRODUCES RESULTS
Clinical Pathology of Plastic Ingestion in Marine Birds and Relationships with Blood Chemistry
Jennifer L. Lavers,Ian Hutton,Alexander L. BonD
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Pollution of the environment with plastic debris is a significant and rapidly expanding threat to biodiversity due to its abundance, durability, and persistence. Current knowledge of the negative effects of debris on wildlife is largely based on consequences that are readily observed, such as entanglement or starvation. Many interactions with debris, however, result in less visible and poorly documented sublethal effects, and as a consequence, the true impact of plastic is underestimated. We investigated the sublethal effects of ingested plastic in Flesh-footed Shearwaters (Ardenna carneipes) using blood chemistry parameters as a measure of bird health. The presence of plastic had a significant negative effect on bird morphometrics and blood calcium levels and a positive relationship with the concentration of uric acid, cholesterol, and amylase. That we found blood chemistry parameters being related to plastic pollution is one of the few examples to date of the sublethal effects of marine debris and highlights that superficially healthy individuals may still experience the negative consequences of ingesting plastic debris. Moving beyond crude measures, such as reduced body mass, to physiological parameters will provide much needed insight into the nuanced and less visible effects of plastic.
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LIMITED EDITIONS...LIVING OCEAN DESIGNER RING TO FUND SEABIRD RESEARCH
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THE STORY BEHIND THE RING
Working with some of the amazing talents who are dedicated to saving the life in our oceans, Living Ocean has created a stunning seabird band ring that reflects the spirit of the seabirds who soar across our wondrous oceans. All this came about when Living Ocean co founder Robbi Newman found an Albatross washed up at Barrenjoey headland NSW. “It had been banded by CSIRO, so we traced it through the CSIRO as a White Capped Albatross born on the Auckland Islands way south of New Zealand. It had been banded on a trip to the squid feeding grounds off Wollongong where they feed once a year when the squid spawn there. I buried it up on the sand dunes and ended up wearing the recovered band as a ring for many years until it washed off while I was surfing one day. It had returned to the sea. I know how these animals ‘fall in love’ and travel vast distances across the oceans, so it became my spirit friend. Then while working with Dr Jenn Lavers funding research into seabirds, we noticed she had a wedding band modelled on the seabird bands as well. That was it. The concept was born to use this as a fund raiser. So in death we have saluted the love of my unknown Albatross and hope its spirit soars with us as we do whatever we can to help life on the planet survive.We do hope this ring allows your spirit to soar as well” THE DESIGNER All Nirvana Jewellery is designed by master jeweller John Tarasin in Sydney, Australia. With over 30 years experience and expertise transferred from Tarasin Jewellers to Nirvana, you are guaranteed excellence in design and manufacture. Great importance has been given to the design and materials used in the crafting of Nirvana Jewellery. We use only pure and solid gold or sterling silver metals, as described in each piece. *Should you need an adjustment to the ring size return it to Living Ocean and Nirvana will resize for a special Living Ocean price of $15 ** Should you want this ring in gold contact us for a special price. |
OCEAN SWELLS- INSTAGRAMS
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MARINE STUDIES Our sealife is disappearig. We're taking direct action to change that. |
IMAGE BY STEVE MAXWELL
First Let'sDiscover
Living Ocean is a not for profit charity that promotes the awareness of human impact on the ocean, through research, education, creative activity in the community, and support of others who sustain ocean health and integrity.
While always celebrating and honouring the natural environment and the life that the ocean offers us. Our focus is on: MARINE STUDIES & NO PLASTIC PLEASE |
Now let's WORKConserve
Work with our COMMUNITY to expand knowledge and actively change our relationship with our oceans. Through collaboration with individuals and organisations, we conceive, create and coordinate campaigns that educate all layers of our community.
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IT'S UP TO USChange
Support our fundraising CAUSES
We support specific objectives to fund research and direct action for change by independent groups that cover a wide range of ocean life. From whales to turtles to sharks and seabirds and much more, we help fund direct action. |
"I hope for your help to explore and protect the wild ocean in ways that will restore the health and, in so doing, secure hope for humankind. Health to the ocean means health for us."
— Sylvia Earle, Oceanographer
IMAGE BY JACK BARRIP
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