INPEX-led Ichthys Joint Venture – developing a dynamic adjustment area to identify, time, duration and potential exposure periods related to a 2D seismic survey offshore Western Australia
Jake Prout A * , Paul Miller B and Shane O’Donoghue BA INPEX Operations Australia Pty Ltd, Perth, WA, Australia.
B Millodon Consulting, Perth, WA, Australia.
The APPEA Journal 62 S343-S346 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ21192
Accepted: 1 March 2022 Published: 13 May 2022
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of APPEA.
Abstract
The oil and gas industry is striving for effective consultation between titleholders and commercial fishing stakeholders. Recent developments in cross-industry consultation have resulted in frameworks to provide an adjustment (compensation) claim process, where short-term displacement of fishers and reduction of catch coincident and following marine seismic survey activities may occur. 3D seismic surveys are undertaken more intensively, in geographically smaller areas and shorter time periods. This allows for discreet areas and periods to be defined for the applicability of a claim when fishing catch rates or displacement may occur. By contrast, 2D seismic surveys can be undertaken at regional scales with long sail line transects. These result in a survey vessel being active in an area of potential acoustic influence for infrequent and short periods of time, thus making justification for claims, for loss of catch or displacement, over the full survey area and full acquisition period challenging. To address this challenge a novel approach was developed to determine a dynamic area, based on where and when a survey vessel was operating the seismic source. INPEX utilised the 10 nautical miles (nm) × 10 nm geospatial grid data set provided by Department of Primary Industries Resources and Development, for commercial fishers to report catch effort. The methodology used modified navigation files, to determine the frequency, duration and number of times a fishing block was intersected during the survey. The resulting data provided an ‘adjustment area’ and ‘exposure date’ which could then be referred to as a basis for claim.
Keywords: adjustment, area, claim, commercial fishers, compensation, displacement, loss of catch, process, seismic, survey.
Jake Prout is an environmental management professional with more than 15 years’ experience in the mining, oil and gas sector. He is a collaborative project manager experienced in delivering environmental approvals and establishing environmental management systems to implement large- and small-scale projects in offshore and onshore environments. Since joining INPEX in 2011, Jake has been accountable for the planning and delivery of project-critical environmental approvals for the construction and operation of Ichthys LNG and exploration activities. |
Paul Miller has a background in electronics and computer engineering and is a former Seismic Acquisition Consultant and Operations Manager responsible for the management and coordination of marine seismic acquisition projects. Paul retired from previous employer, Searcher Seismic, in June 2019 after which he partnered with Shane O’Donoghue, to form Millodon Consulting – a company planning to help meet the stakeholder consultation requirements of the OPGGSA regulations for offshore petroleum exploration activities in Australian Commonwealth waters. The Company’s overarching goal is to improve the relationship between the commercial fishing and the oil and gas exploration industries and streamline the manner in which consultation is conducted. |
Shane O’Donoghue has a high-level fisheries policy development and management skills and experience, developed over a 34 year career with the Western Australian Fisheries Department (now Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, DPIRD). His final 9 years with the Western Australian Government was in the role of Manager Northern Bioregions with Fisheries WA and then DPIRD. He also worked closely and effectively with the Western Australian Fishing Industry Council and Recfishwest and, at a senior Commonwealth Government ministerial level, to negotiate Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act commercial fishery export approvals and associated conditions, delivery of fisheries management services to the Indian Ocean Territories, Marine Stewardship Council accreditation for the Shark Bay and Exmouth Gulf prawn fisheries and pearling. He was also involved in the project management and policy development for the transition of the pearling industry into the Aquatic Resources Management Act 2016. |
References
INPEX (2020) INPEX Browse E&P Pty Ltd: 2D Seismic Survey WA-532-P, WA-533-P and WA-50-L Environment Plan. Available at https://info.nopsema.gov.au/environment_plans/464/show_publicMcPherson CR, Wladichuk JL, Alavizadeh Z, Hiltz K (2019) Western Australia 2-D Marine Seismic Survey: Acoustic Modelling for Assessing Marine Fauna Sound Exposures. Document 01696, Version 2.0. Technical report by JASCO Applied Sciences for INPEX Operations Australia Pty Ltd. Available at https://docs.nopsema.gov.au/A685250
