From Behavioral Experiments to Fisheries Impacts: A Collaborative Evaluation of Seismic Survey Effects on Snow Crab and Groundfish

Morris, C.J., K. Nguyen, S.B. Martin, J. Hanlon, M. Piersiak, L. Gullage, M. Brake, J. Xu, D. Schornagel, et al.

The Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life IV. Springer Nature Switzerland, Cham. (2026)

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-94229-7_104-1

To assess the impacts of seismic surveying on commercial fisheries offshore Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, a series of collaborative studies was conducted with the fishing industry, oil and gas sector, and regulatory agencies. Here, an overview of marine seismic surveying in this region is provided with summary findings from experiments that incorporated industry-based seismic surveying. Field studies and complementary laboratory experiments showed undetectable or inconsistent effects of seismic surveying sound on snow crab and catch rates. In contrast, in situ observations on groundfish revealed species-specific behavioral changes in depth use, activity, or feeding patterns when a seismic survey vessel was operating within 60 km and when sound pressure levels exceeded 120 dB re 1 μPa2. Stakeholders were involved from planning stages and through the publication process, ensuring a focus on industry priorities which included realistic impacts of seismic surveying on commercial fishing grounds measured by controlled scientific field experiments. This collaborative approach produced accepted information to support the development of effective mitigation measures.