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We have great news!

In a huge win for our oceans, together we have stopped a huge seismic blasting project going ahead in the waters between Victoria and Tasmania!

Tens of thousands of us wrote to the offshore oil & gas regulator NOPSEMA last year opposing plans for the largest 3D seismic blasting project on record in Australia.

Our collective action – involving Australian Marine Conservation Society, Surfrider, OCEAN, Saltwater People, local communities and you – has resulted in those plans being withdrawn!

The project would have seen seismic blasting in the foraging grounds of endangered pygmy blue whales and along endangered southern right whale migration routes.

The targeted area – part of which is in a Commonwealth marine park – includes four incredible undersea canyons that cut into the continental shelf. When the Zeehan Current hits these canyons, it creates upward-swirling waters, enriching marine life with nutrients near the surface.

These waters are a vital nursery for blue whales, while Tasmanian giant crabs inhabit the rocky limestone habitats on the continental shelf.

Seismic blasting is like dynamite going off in your loungeroom. If the project had gone ahead, it could have potentially caused mass mortalities of zooplankton, the foundation of our ocean’s food web.

But thanks to widespread community opposition, this devastating project has been STOPPED before it could begin.

This is what we can achieve when we take action!

The SOML team

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We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which our offices stand and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.