The noise caused by the waves can injure and impair many different species of fish and marine wildlife.
East Asia and the Northwestern Pacific are home to some of the world’s biggest and most productive fisheries, with average yearly yields in the 20-24 million ton range (Ahlenius 2004). The region is home to many coral reefs and these fisheries provide food for a large percentage of the world’s population. The coral reefs are also some of the most important ecological sites in the world, home to thousands of marine species. These biologically diverse marine habitats these reefs continue to add ecological and economical value to the waters off of Eastern Asia through tourism, recreation, and extractable resources.
Offshore energy exploration allows nations to access additional fuel reserves and expand domestic industry, but there are many costs to consider. While large tracts of natural gas and oil occur in the seabed off the coast of East Asia in the Pacific Ocean they vary in degrees of difficulty and the resources needed to locate and extract these fuels. The process can be very lucrative and offshore drilling rigs are a common sight for many residents of coastal areas across the globe, but the hunt for these resources can be highly detrimental to the local ecosystems and other natural economic assets such as fisheries and tourist attractions.
Types of offshore energy extraction include drilling for oil and hydraulic fracking, both of which have large impacts on the environment in which they are done. For example, seismic mapping, the initial assessment and surveying for potential oil deposits, consists of blasting high decibel waves along the seafloor to map deposits and their sizes (CAOE 2010). The noise caused by the waves can injure and impair many different species of fish and marine wildlife. These disruptions, especially in a highly productive environment, could potentially damage populations to the point of impacting fisherman’s daily catches, bringing down local economies and making it more difficult for fishermen to provide for their families.
In addition, drilling also releases many toxic chemicals into the area, similar to the acidic heavy metal runoff created when mining on land. When used in close proximity to valuable ecological assets this concentration of chemicals can harm the reproductive cycles of fish and further exacerbate issues such as ocean acidification, a major factor in the decline in coral reefs (Boesch & Rabalais 2003).
Perhaps the greatest and most publicized impacts of offshore energy exploration are oil spills. Highly detrimental to the environment, a large-scale oil spill like the Exxon Valdez or Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico can cause adverse effects decades into the future. While extensive risk assessment and planning are required before drilling commences, accidents resulting in spills still occur, often due to poor regulation, oversight, or maintenance (Boesch & Rabalais 2003).
Another challenge that comes with oil spills is the clean up. In a region such as East Asia where many countries have access to the coast, a large-scale oil spill could create issues in determining the responsibility of clean up, and getting countries to act in conjunction to address a multinational problem. This would be further hindered by the large degree of territorial disputes among East Asian nations in terms of rightful ownership of areas with oil and natural gas reserves. Many lay claim to the ownership and rights to harvest these resources, but would each country defend their responsibility for a spill, or would a blame-game erupt and further destabilize the region?
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Fisheries decline
- Kenya’s Victory Farms nets $5m as it edges towards precision fish farmingon May 27, 2022 at 10:14 am
Victory Farms, East Africa's largest commercial fish farmer, is setting its sights further afield in DRC, Tanzania and Rwanda.
- Third of fish and chip shops under threat amid soaring costs and post-Brexiton May 27, 2022 at 10:11 am
“We’re finding it a struggle to keep our prices reasonable and competitive compared to other fast foods that are in the area, and we’ve actually seen a decline in fish sales and customers walking ...
- Smith: New bagging limits on popular panfish show promise of producing bigger fishon May 27, 2022 at 10:06 am
In records from 1940 to 2000 on 100 consistently sampled Badger State lakes, the panfish sizes showed a steady decline. Daniel Coble of the Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Center at UW-Stevens ...
- ‘Fish geeks’ battle invasive specieson May 27, 2022 at 10:00 am
Native fish populations in Yellowstone Lake have been jeopardized since fisheries biologists found lake trout illegally introduced in 1994.
- The Decline of Bathingon May 27, 2022 at 9:51 am
I still have the use of my arms and legs, numb though the latter are at this moment; and I am more like a fish in the water ... and brood on the decline and fall of British bathing. There was a time ...
- End of a British tradition: A third of fish and chip shops to shut shop this yearon May 27, 2022 at 7:18 am
“We’re finding it a struggle to keep our prices reasonable and competitive compared to other fast foods that are in the area, and we’ve actually seen a decline in fish sales and customers walking ...
- British fish and chip shops take a batteringon May 25, 2022 at 11:42 pm
STORY: At west London's Hooked Fish and Chips, shop owner Bally Singh is struggling to keep the tills ringing.Faced with sky-rocketing inflation, he has seen the price of everything, from cooking oil ...
- The end of fish and chips? Rising prices threaten a British traditionon May 25, 2022 at 11:07 pm
At west London's Hooked Fish and Chips, Bally Singh is struggling to keep the tills ringing for a British tradition, with prices sky-rocketing for fish, potatoes, cooking oil and even the flour used ...
- Fish Prices Rise In M’sia Due To Decreasing Stocks, 70% Drop In Fishes Seen At Seaon May 25, 2022 at 7:12 pm
Malaysia reports exponential increase in fish prices due to illegal fishing activities and decreasing fish supplies in waters.
- Report: Fish price up because there's less sighted in Malaysian waterson May 24, 2022 at 8:01 pm
The exponential increase in fish at local markets is due to the lack of supply in waters off Malaysia, according to the National Fishermen's Association. Its chairman Abdul Hamid Bahari told Malay ...
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Offshore Energy
- Interior Department announces first offshore California wind lease saleon May 27, 2022 at 10:11 am
The proposed leases total about 373,268 acres and would install more than 4.5 gigawatts of offshore energy capacity, according to the Interior Department. The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy ...
- Projects seek to unite offshore energy, fishing communityon May 24, 2022 at 6:16 am
This funding opportunity seeks to catalyze research for the coexistence of marine energy, including wind, current, tidal and wave energies, with Northeast fishing and coastal communities.
- Meet the woman leading Biden’s offshore energy agendaon May 24, 2022 at 4:02 am
In a wide-ranging interview with E&E News, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Amanda Lefton outlined next steps for oil and offshore wind at the ...
- Windfall tax could ‘undermine’ energy security targets, offshore chief warnson May 24, 2022 at 2:27 am
Deirdre Michie, Offshore Energies UK chief executive, has urged politicians to ignore the calls for a one-off levy on oil and gas companies.
- Delta Offshore Energy Americas Subsidiary Receives USTDA Grant to Enable Green Projects in Vietnamon May 20, 2022 at 8:02 am
The United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has awarded a grant to DOE Americas LLC via its affiliate, Mekong Clean Energy Infrastructure Co., ...
- With developers clamoring for leases, offshore wind lining up as America's next big energy boomon May 11, 2022 at 5:31 am
WASHINGTON - Energy companies are pouring tens of billions of dollars into rapidly developing offshore wind farms up and down U.S. coastlines, as they seek to get in on what is shaping up to be ...
- Offshore microgrid to showcase ocean energy and storage technologieson May 10, 2022 at 5:24 pm
A push to unlock the “almost limitless” potential of Australia’s vast ocean energy resources is being launched on Wednesday, including plans to build a pilot-scale offshore microgrid that ...
- Offshore wind can be the future of renewable energy in South Carolinaon May 5, 2022 at 12:39 pm
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) — The Carolinas could power all their energy needs from offshore wind for the foreseeable future. In fact, North and South Carolina have so much potential to capture ...
- New Englanders support more offshore wind power – just don’t send it to New Yorkon April 30, 2022 at 12:02 am
But do regional identities affect attitudes toward energy development? Our studies of public attitudes toward offshore wind energy development indicate they might. We conducted two surveys – one ...
- In Offshore Energy, the Winds of Robotic Change are Blowingon April 27, 2022 at 5:00 pm
According to a report, The Economic Opportunity for Robotics in Offshore Wind and Key Energy Markets by the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (ORE Catapult), published last year, opex costs could ...