THE JAMAICA Environment Trust (JET) is complaining that seismic testing for oil deposits off the south coast of Jamaica could endanger marine life.
The environmental lobby group charged that the go-ahead was given without proper risk assessment and public consultation.
A testing ship, operated by Norwegian company Furgo, is already due to have started work.
The work will last for 10 weeks and involves bouncing sound pulses off the seabed with the data to be sent to their Australian client, Finder Exploration. The data will be processed over a six to seven month period to assess whether there are viable deposits.
But, according to JET, the 27 marine mammals and five species of turtles found in Jamaican waters could be affected by the sound pulses which are fired from airguns on the ship.
"These blasts are extremely loud and, when combined with the frequency with which they are emitted, can have damaging effects on the marine animals present within the range of these blasts," the statement said. "Studies on seismic surveys have shown that fish catches have been reduced dramatically both during and long after surveys have ended. Surveys have also been known to affect whales, dolphins and other migratory species, such as turtles."
JET said it had requested information on the public process and conditions of approval for the testing from the Ministry of Land and Environment, but had yet to receive a response.
