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?
The Latest Bing News on:
Fisheries decline
- Fisheries production slips 0.5% in first quarteron May 16, 2024 at 2:34 pm
FISHERIES production declined 0.5% year on year in the first quarter, driven by a decline in production in marine municipal fisheries, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said. In a report, the ...
- Big Hole River fish numbers show some increaseson May 16, 2024 at 11:39 am
The number of fish in the three rivers that make up the Jefferson River has been going down for several years. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is working to find out why.
- PSA notes slight drop in fisheries output in Q1on May 16, 2024 at 9:02 am
FISHERIES output decreased by 0.5 percent in the first quarter of the year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Data from the PSA showed that the total volume of fisheries ...
- Twilight zone fishing: Can we fish the ocean’s mesopelagic layer?on May 15, 2024 at 11:52 am
Two hundred meters below the surface of the sea is a cold, faintly lit layer of water known as the mesopelagic, or twilight, zone. Here lives a menagerie of peculiar-looking creatures: blue-glowing ...
- Parasitic worm likely playing role in decline of moose populationson May 15, 2024 at 11:30 am
A parasitic worm that can infest the brains of moose appears to be playing a role in the decline of the iconic animal in some regions of North America.
- Study says aquaculture likely driving wild salmon extinction in Newfoundlandon May 15, 2024 at 5:09 am
Eight federal Fisheries Department researchers co-authored the report, and they say impacts of nearby aquaculture operations are likely the primary contributors to the decline. Those impacts ...
- Blind fish species found in China's underground streamon May 15, 2024 at 1:51 am
The fish is blind with its eyes having degenerated into black spots without a complete ocular structure. This is probably a result of the dark environment of its habitat in the underground river, ...
- Congress Urged to Spend $100 Million to Save Monarch Butterflies - Population Declines 60% as Fish and Wildlife Service Weighs Protectionson May 14, 2024 at 6:09 am
Congress Urged to Spend $100 Million to Save Monarch Butterflies - Population Declines 60% as Fish and Wildlife Service Weighs Protections ...
- Weaker ocean currents lead to decline in nutrients for North Atlantic ocean life during prehistoric climate changeon May 11, 2024 at 12:01 pm
Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology have finished investigating how the prehistoric weakening of a major ocean current led to a decline in ocean nutrients and negative impacts on North ...
- Idaho's wolf killings decline as board advances private contractson May 10, 2024 at 4:25 am
About a third of all wolf kills in Idaho in the last year would be prohibited going forward, under a court order issued in March.
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The Latest Bing News on:
Offshore Energy
- Schatz Energy Research Center Unveils Pacific Offshore Wind Consortium, a New Partnership Between West Coast Universitieson May 15, 2024 at 11:57 am
The Schatz Energy Research Center at Cal Poly Humboldt today launched the Pacific Offshore Wind Consortium (POWC), a partnership with the Pacific Marine Energy Center at Oregon State University and ...
- Crowded Offshore Technology Conference 2024 Mirrors A Robust Energy Sectoron May 15, 2024 at 5:49 am
Robust attendance for this year's OTC event in Houston shows that it, like the offshore energy business at large, has fully recovered from the COVID-caused down years.
- House OKs Coast Guard bill with offshore energy rideron May 15, 2024 at 3:22 am
The House on Wednesday passed a Coast Guard reauthorization bill that contains a contentious provision pertaining to offshore energy projects. Separately, the chamber may vote on a reauthorization of ...
- Maryland sets course for offshore wind energy expansion with new legislationon May 14, 2024 at 2:18 pm
Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed a bill aimed at reevaluating and potentially revising existing offshore wind project plans, setting the stage for the state's goal of achieving 8,500 megawatts of ...
- Cortec Keeps Offshore Energy Flowingon May 10, 2024 at 11:30 am
Custom engineering is the name of the game at Cortec, a U.S.-based valve manufacturer that specializes in helping its clients – ...
- Winds of change: New era for offshore energy industry set to blow inon April 29, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen will say offshore wind is crucial to replace Australia’s ageing coal plants when he announces on Wednesday that the Albanese government has identified ...
- Korea’s leading offshore contractor revamps structure, focusing on offshore energyon April 24, 2024 at 10:26 pm
In a strategic move, the company announced the division of its operations into distinct units, with a keen focus on offshore energy. The company notified its employees on Wednesday of plans to ...
- World’s biggest floating offshore wind farm gets go-aheadon April 21, 2024 at 5:00 pm
When operational, Green Volt will boast up to 35 floating turbines and provide 560 megawatts of energy off the coast of Peterhead, Aberdeenshire. Generation will go to offshore oil and gas ...
- Researchers developing technology to improve offshore wind safetyon April 16, 2024 at 5:01 pm
The technology will provide information about the conditions and improve safety for offshore wind energy personnel if they need to intervene, Rotea said. In 2023, wind energy represented nearly 29 ...
- Major Offshore Wind Project Part of Swedish Renewable Energy Surgeon April 2, 2024 at 4:59 pm
A Sweden-based renewable energy developer, in partnership with the investment arm of Ingka Group–the biggest IKEA retailer–has been issued a permit for construction of a 5.5-GW offshore wind ...
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Offshore Energy
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