Oil survey may wait for tuna

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32819, 20 January 1972, Page 3

Oil survey may wait for tuna

(New Zealand Press Association)

NEW PLYMOUTH, January 19. An Australian-based oil exploration company may be asked to postpone a seismic survey off Taranaki to protect the province’s new tuna industry.

The company is Hematite Petroleum (N.Z.) Ltd, which intends to use the survey vessel Polaris to make' the survey off north Taranaki within the next few months. However, the Marine Department is concerned that noise made by the survey would scare away the tuna now running off Taranaki. Dr D. Eggleston, the acting assistant director of fisheries, said his department was not sure how the tuna would react to the sharp sound used in the offshore survey. Tuna were known to be sensitive to sound. A full report was being prepared, and it would be up to the Minister of Marine (Mr McCready) to decide, Dr Eggleston said.

The Minister might ask the oil company, to postpone the survey until the tuna left Taranaki waters, or let it carry On with the search under the careful watch of the department. “Ip the latter case we would keep a watch on tuna movement, and if there was any sign of their moving off, the ship would probably be asked to complete the survey later,” he said. The Polaris started a seismic survey for New Zealand Aquitaine Petroleum Exploration, Ltd, in the Tasman Bay area yesterday. Dr Eggleston said it would probably do a further survey for Aquitaine off Patea and one for Hematite off the Bay of Plenty, as well as the North Taranaki sufvey.