Strategies for obtaining ecological data to enhance decommissioning assessments
Sean van Elden A B , Thomas Tothill A and Jessica J. Meeuwig AA School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
B Corresponding author. Email: sean.vanelden@research.uwa.edu.au; svanelden@gmail.com
The APPEA Journal 60(2) 559-562 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ19235
Accepted: 28 February 2020 Published: 15 May 2020
Abstract
Many offshore oil and gas platforms around the globe are reaching their end-of-life and will require decommissioning in the next few decades. Knowledge on the ecology of offshore platforms and their ecological role within a regional context in Australia is limited and the subsequent consequences of decommissioning remain poorly understood. Remotely operated vehicle (ROV) video is often collected during standard industry operations and may provide insight into the marine life associating with offshore platforms; however, the utility of this video for scientific purposes remains unclear. We propose a standardised method of analysing this large database of archival ROV footage with specific interest in analysing the vertical distribution of fish species. Baited remote underwater video systems (BRUVS) are a widely used tool for studying marine faunal communities, and we demonstrate the value of BRUVS for understanding the regional ecology around offshore platforms. A combination of BRUVS and ROV data can be used to determine the relative ecological value of offshore platforms within a regional context. The Wandoo oil platform on Australia’s North West Shelf was used as a case study to test these proposed methods by assessing demersal and pelagic fish populations both on and around the Wandoo platform and various natural habitats in the region.
Keywords: BRUVS, platform ecology, ROV.
Sean van Elden studied in South Africa where he received his Bachelor of Science (Marine Biology) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2013, and his Bachelor of Science Honours at Nelson Mandela University in 2014. After working at Nelson Mandela University, Sean moved to Australia and joined the Marine Futures laboratory at the University of Western Australia in 2016 as an image analyst. Sean started his PhD in April 2017, investigating the community structure of both benthic and pelagic species associated with offshore platforms, as a basis for future decommissioning decisions |
Thomas Tothill is a recently graduated Master of Biological Sciences student specialising in Marine Biology from the University of Western Australia. As part of his Master’s degree, Thomas undertook a research project analysing the vertical distribution of fish populations on two offshore oil platforms on Australia’s North West Shelf, as part of a collaboration between the University of Western Australia and Vermilion Oil and Gas Australia. Thomas’ area of interest lies in understanding the impacts of various decommissioning scenarios on demersal and pelagic fish population dynamics. |
Professor Jessica Meeuwig is Director of the Marine Futures Laboratory at the University of Western Australia and is a marine ecologist focused on understanding the ecology of reef and open-ocean shark and fish assemblages and the way in which their status reflects anthropogenic impacts and management responses. She has expertise in a diverse repertoire of field and analysis techniques, from BRUVS (and pioneered the development of mid-water systems), to acoustic and satellite tagging, trophic analyses, behavioural studies and predictive modelling. She has previously conducted research with Woodside and Chevron on the North West Shelf. |
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