Dear MARMAM colleagues, My co-authors and I would like to share our new publication in Marine Mammal Science titled: Effect of a new offshore gas platform on harbor porpoises in the Dogger Bank. Abstract: Offshore Oil and Gas (O&G) exploration and production has been cycling from cradle to grave for over 100 years, spanning many generations of marine fauna. Despite global occurrence of offshore infrastructure, implications of their presence for apex predators, including cetaceans, is understudied. We analyzed data from autonomous underwater passive-echolocation-click detectors (C-PODs) deployed at an offshore O&G production platform and at control locations to investigate acoustic activity of harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) from 2015 to 2020, before, during, and after platform construction. Despite a statistically significant decrease in porpoise detections following platform construction and initial drilling operations (2015–2016), detections returned to baseline levels within five months. We detected no long-term effects of platform presence on porpoise-detection rates. While additional study is required to further understand activity of porpoise at O&G platforms during continued operation through to decommissioning, our findings, nonetheless, have important implications for Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), which do not currently consider effects of platform presence on marine mammals in any context other than short-term noise mitigation. While we know porpoise forage at ageing platforms, this is the first study to demonstrate porpoise also utilize space around new platforms, which must be accommodated in long-term EIA processes. The paper can be downloaded from: https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12949 Best wishes, Laura Dr. Laura Williamson Senior Analyst Ocean Science Consulting Limited (OSC) Spott Road, Dunbar, East Lothian, EH42 1RR, Scotland, UK M: +44 (0)7528 545 167 T: +44 (0)1368 865 722 W: www.osc.co.uk . MMO or PAM requirement? We wrote the book. Now available on Amazon: www.marinemammalobserverhandbook.com Check out my latest papers on: Distribution modelling:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2022.110011 Cetaceans & oceanography: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-021-02977-3 Harbour porpoise distribution: https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12839 Animal movement around tidal turbines: https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsab017
