On Monday, a federal appeals court approved seismic testing off the coast of New Jersey that will set off loud noises across the floor of the Atlantic Ocean as part of a climate change research project conducted by Rutgers University and funded by the National Science Foundation.
The U.S. District Court originally ruled to allow the testing to go on. The Christie administration from the state of New Jersey filed on July 8 to appeal the federal ruling, saying in a press release that they feared the survey could adversely impact New Jersey's vital tourism and fishing industries, and harm fish and marine mammals.
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Bob Martin said, "This ruling is very disappointing to the Administration, and could have a negative impact on the ocean and its wildlife. The DEP believes this research, which would use loud, powerful sound blasts to map the ocean floor, will likely have a detrimental effect on New Jersey's fisheries and marine mammals."
According to the Christie administration's press release, the seismic study is funded by the National Science Foundation and led by Rutgers University. The press release states, "The DEP's Bureau of Marine Fisheries and Office of Environmental Review have both concluded this seismic activity would likely negatively impact New Jersey's fish and marine mammal populations, including threatened and endangered species."
The NOAA-evaluated research intends to use acoustic studies to examine the sediment deposits in New Jersey, which go back tens of millions of years. There are about 18 miles of sediment.
Although environmentalists and some people with a vested interest in fishing oppose the research plan, the researchers says they will do everything possible to minimize disruptions to marine life.
"There are too many risks and uncertainties with moving forward with a project like this, particularly in the summer when marine life is most abundant and active," said Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection in a press release.
"We believe this testing will disrupt and harm marine life and fishing, posing a risk to our commercial and recreation fishing industries."
The researchers, led by a team at Rutgers University, plans to study the ocean floor to see what might happen as the ocean levels rise. They are planning to create a 3D map of the ocean floor.
