Long awaited research on damage to marine ecosystem has finally been published in Nature, Ecology & Evolution - June, 2017 

'Widely used marine seismic survey air gun operations negatively impact zooplankton' - http://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-017-0195

Key findings of the research :- 

Impact Range - 100 times greater than the previously assumed 10 metres

Mortality - two to three-fold increase in dead zooplankton in impact range

Krill - all larval killed in impact range (no adult Krill were present in impact range)

 Press headlines:-

 Oil-exploration airguns punch 2-kilometre-wide holes in plankton - New Scientist

 Blast from air guns used in hunt for oil killing plankton and threatening marine ecosystems, scientists warn - The Independent

Plankton is the bases of the marine 'food chain' and provides half of the oxygen we breathe!  When is enough enough?

A line needs to be drawn in the sand - Ban the use of Seismic Air Guns ! 

Future exploration - A ban on the use of seismic air guns in hunting for fossil fuels would ensure that there is investment in alternative exploration techniques that have significantly less impact on the marine environment.

 Current reserves - Is there the need for more fossil fuels? Why continue the ‘gold rush’ of gas exploration which is only to feed an ever expanding export market.  According to the Governments own report (Australian Gas Resource 2012) the existing stockpile of verified oil & gas reservoirs are already capable of providing gas for the next 54 years at current production levels.