Seismic Testing on Turtles

 There is an absence of knowledge regarding the impact of seismic blasts on turtles and further studies and research is desperately needed to determine the effects of seismic testing on Turtles.

Potential impacts of noise on turtles include interruption of essential behaviours, masking signals of interest (e.g., the sounds of predators, conspecifics or prey), displacement from crucial habitat, direct physical injury including temporary or permanent hearing loss, and in extreme cases, death. A further potential negative result of performing seismic tests include the risk for marine animals such as turtles to become entangled with equipment, either towed via the vessel or deployed on the sea bed.

Written by Tim Hawthorne

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