Our Arctic Neighbors: Norway pays fishermen to avoid seismic surveys

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has entered into buy-out agreements with about 100 fishermen to enable 3-D seismic data acquisition activities to take place this summer in far northern regions that are currently closed to oil and gas development, NPD said in a release June 25. The surveys, to be conducted by the vessels Geo Pacific in the Nordland VII area and Ocean Explorer in the Troms II area, will take place until Aug. 9.

The fishermen will be compensated for refraining from fishing when this could impede the seismic acquisition activities. They can still fish when the seismic survey vessels are not in their particular fishing areas.

“An extensive, cutting-edge research project will be carried out in connection with the acquisition of seismic data in Vesteralen (Nordland VII),” NPD said. “The objective of this pioneer project is to study the startle effect of seismic surveys on a number of important commercial fish species. This is the largest project of its kind, and is unique in a global context.”

Researchers will also study how long it takes for fishing to normalize after seismic data acquisition is completed. The studies of the startle effect will be linked to acoustic measurements. Five fishing vessels have been hired to carry out test fishing before, during and after the seismic survey activity.

Last fall the Norwegian parliament allocated $31.7 million to NPD’s data acquisition activities in the summer of 2009. Between $2.1 million and $2.4 million of that is being spent on the buy-out scheme for the fishermen. Information from the surveys will form part of the research used when the region’s comprehensive management plan is reconsidered in 2010.

—Sarah Hurst