I support videos like this to inform the general public of a balanced view of the impact of seismic surveys versus other forms of shipping. However there are two points in this video that misrepresent what is actually going on with marine mammal protection. Firstly the video shows a small area that seismic surveys covers compared to the whole ocean and that it is small in comparison. If animals and indeed marine mammals were distributed evenly throughout the ocean then this point would hold up. However marine mammals are not distributed in this way and indeed the areas along the coast are the most densely populated and if the majority of seismic surveys are carried out in these coastal zones then the impact is significantly greater. Also not all habitats are the same in the ocean. Some areas will be more critical to a local population than other areas and so comparing a small area surveying against a vast ocean does nothing to consider these critical habitats. The second point in the video that is incorrect is when a 500 metre zone is shown and it is stated that animals are protected when they enter this zone. This is not always the case. It depends on the mitigation measures that are required for each area. In Brazil there is a shutdown of the seismic source for all marine mammals. However in UK waters and anywhere else in the world where UK procedures are adopted there is no shutdown of the source when the animals enter the 500 metre zone. Mitigation only occurs prior to the source being fired - ie the source is not started until the 500m zone is clear of animals. If the source is already active and an animal enters the zone then there is no shutdown and the surveying continues. In the Gulf of Mexico a shutdown of the source when an animal enters the 500 metres only occurs for Sperm Whales, Baleen Whales, Kogia species and Beaked Whales. There is no shutdowns for dolphin or turtle species. If you look at the mitigation that is occurring around the world for marine mammals during seismic surveys the majority of time there is no shutdown of the source for a marine mammals in the 500m zone - the emphasis instead on is delaying the start up of the source only. When making these videos I suggest that there is proper consultation with marine biologists about how marine mammals inhabit the oceans and also to consult regulators and marine mammal observer organisations to get a proper understanding of the mitigation that is actually happening around the world.
So according to this line of thinking Nuking a city is okay because it's only a small portion of the earths surface. This video is rife with misinformation and blatantly ignores the dynamics of marine ecosystems in what equates to a boardroom sales pitch.
