Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Program, Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland A1B 3X9, Canada.
J Environ Manage. 2012 Aug 15;104:121-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2012.02.012. Epub 2012 Apr 7.
Petroleum exploration and production on the Grand Bank of eastern Canada overlaps with productive marine habitat that supports over 40 million marine birds annually. Environmental assessments for oil and gas projects in the region predict insignificant adverse effects on marine birds from oil spills, incineration in platform flares and collisions. Limited baseline data on seasonal occupancies and a failure to quantify the nature and extent of marine bird attraction to platforms and related mortality undermines these assessments. We conducted 22 surveys to offshore platforms on the Grand Bank during 1999-2003 to measure avian associations with platforms and to determine the level of monitoring needed to assess the risks to marine birds. We document seasonal shifts in marine bird occurrences and higher densities of auks (fall) and shearwaters (summer) around platforms relative to surrounding areas. The limited temporal and spatial coverage of our surveys is more robust than existing industry monitoring efforts, yet it is still inadequate to quantify the scale of marine bird associations with platforms or their associated mortality risks. Systematic observations by independent biologists on vessels and platforms are needed to generate reliable assessments of risks to marine birds. Instead, the regulatory body for offshore oil and gas in eastern Canada (Canada - Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board; C-NLOPB) supports industry self-reporting as the accepted form of environmental monitoring. Conflicting responsibilities of oil and gas regulatory agencies for both energy development and environmental monitoring are major barriers to transparency, unbiased scientific inquiry and adequate environmental protection. Similar conflicts with the oil and gas regulatory body in the United States, the former Minerals and Management Service (MMS) were identified by the U.S. President as a major contributor to the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. The MMS has since been restructured into the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, (BOEM) with separate departments responsible for drilling leases and the regulation of drilling activities. Similar restructuring of the oil and gas regulatory bodies in Canada is needed for better public information, scientific investigation and environmental protection in the offshore.
在加拿大东部大浅滩的石油勘探和生产与每年支持超过 4000 万只海洋鸟类的多产海洋生境重叠。该地区石油和天然气项目的环境评估预测，石油泄漏、平台火炬燃烧和碰撞对海洋鸟类的不利影响微不足道。关于季节性栖息地的有限基线数据，以及未能量化海洋鸟类对平台的吸引力的性质和程度及其相关死亡率，破坏了这些评估。我们在 1999-2003 年期间对大浅滩的海上平台进行了 22 次调查，以测量鸟类与平台的关联，并确定评估海洋鸟类风险所需的监测水平。我们记录了海洋鸟类发生的季节性变化，以及相对于周围地区，鸥类（秋季）和剪水鹱类（夏季）在平台周围的密度更高。我们调查的时间和空间覆盖范围有限，比现有的行业监测工作更有力，但仍不足以量化海洋鸟类与平台的关联程度或其相关的死亡率风险。需要独立的生物学家在船只和平台上进行系统观测，以对海洋鸟类的风险进行可靠评估。相反，加拿大东部近海石油和天然气监管机构（加拿大-纽芬兰和拉布拉多近海石油局；C-NLOPB）支持将行业自行报告作为环境监测的公认形式。石油和天然气监管机构在能源开发和环境监测方面的责任冲突是透明度、公正的科学调查和充分环境保护的主要障碍。与美国石油和天然气监管机构的类似冲突，前矿产和管理局（MMS）被美国总统确定为墨西哥湾深海地平线灾难的主要原因之一。MMS 此后已重组为海洋能源管理局（BOEM），分别设有负责钻井租约和钻井活动监管的部门。加拿大需要对石油和天然气监管机构进行类似的重组，以便在近海地区提供更好的公共信息、科学调查和环境保护。
