BP's oil exploration plan to impact whales

Xinhua, January 18, 2011

Southern Right whales, Humpbacks, the Great White shark and Southern Bluefin tuna could be at risk after Australian federal government gave BP permission to explore for new oil reserves, environment groups said on Tuesday.

The energy giant on Monday has been granted four permits to explore for oil and gas in the Ceduna Sub-basin in the Bight Basin off South Australia.

The permits were the first in these areas to be issued since the April 2010 blowout at BP's Macondo well that killed 11 workers and spewed almost five million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

Conservation groups are concerned about the risks to endangered species in the rough, deep waters of the Great Australian Bight.

According to Michelle Grady from the Save Our Marine Life alliance, the exploration permits sit on top of the Great Australian Bight marine park and have been place "very preemptively" over an area that is being assessed for new marine parks.

"This is jumping the gun on a federal government process that will see decisions made on marine sanctuaries," she told Australia Associated Press on Tuesday.

Grady said endangered fish and whales could be impacted by the noise and movement and at risk if there is an accident in the water that is up to four kilometers deep, unlike the 1.5 kilometer deep Gulf of Mexico.

Meanwhile, the Humane Society International (HSI) said the areas are key feeding, breeding, and migratory sites for a number of threatened species including the Southern Right whale, the Humpback whale, the Great White shark and Southern Bluefin tuna.

HSI spokeswoman Alexia Wellbelove said it is "astounding" that the government claims to be making efforts to conserve threatened whales, while approving projects that will directly impact upon their vital feeding and breeding areas.

"Instead of continuing to impact our whales, we should be identifying those places of most importance to them so that we can protect them," Wellbelove said.

BP said drilling of the oil exploration would not take place until 2013 at the earliest.