On Tuesday, March 4, the administrative court of Fort-de-France urgently suspended a seismic research campaign planned in marine protected areas of the Antilles.
As announced in our Monday edition, this Garanti2 mission, led by theIfremer and authorized by a prefectural decree, was to take place between March and April, in the middle of the calving season humpback whales et sperm whales, an endangered species in the region.
Scientists planned acoustic surveys and rock sampling to study the tectonic platesHowever, several environmental associations have denounced the impact of this mission on marine mammals. petition having collected nearly 4000 signatures accompanied their legal action.
The interim relief judge noted that the devices used emit low-frequency sounds, interfering with the communication of cetaceans and potentially causing stress, disorientation and breakdown of the mother-child bondSome effects, such as hearing damage, can even be fatal for cetaceans.
The court concluded that this campaign posed a serious and irreversible risk to the conservation of cetaceans, thus justifying the immediate suspension of operations. This decision marks a victory for environmental defenders and strengthens the protection of the Agoa Sanctuary, a space dedicated to the preservation of marine mammals. _Vx
Towards a reprogramming of the Garanti2 campaign
THEIfremer defended its campaign by pointing out that the seismic source used was 100 times less powerful than usual standards and that no direct link between seismic activity and cetacean mortality has been proven. According to the marine mammal monitoring protocol, a team of independent observers had to ensure the absence of cetaceans or sea turtles near the seismic source or the ship.Organisation justifies the choice of dates by the availability of the ship and an objective of DecarbonizationThe Garanti2 mission carried out by theUniversity of the West Indies and CNRS will be rescheduled in 2025 or 2026, in consultation with the AGOA sanctuary.
https://faxinfo.fr/en/environnement-menace-sur-les-baleines-la-justice-dit-non-aux-recherches-sismiques/
