Norway: Environmentalists prepare for civil disobedience

Despite protests from environmental NGO Bellona and other environmental organisations who say they are readying acts of civil disobedience, the Norwegian Oil and Energy is set to begin collecting seismic data off the coast of Norway?s northerly Lofoten region.

The basis for the environmentally disruptive project is a report from Norway?s Institute of Marine studies that even the institute itself acknowledges gives less than a complete picture of how the Oil and Energy?s prospecting could impact the environment.

Bellona?s boat, Kallinika, is already in the area, and Bellona President Frederic Hauge said that acts of civil disobedience targeting the vessel taking the seismic readings in the area have not been ruled out.

Fishermen in the area have also expressed outrage at the oil-prospecting project, which they say will threaten their livelihoods by scaring fish out of their prime fishing territories and interfere with haddock spawning.

The areas below the waters of the Lofoten region are considered to contain major amounts of oil and the Norwegian oil industry has long considered the area to be one of its most promising oil boomtowns.

At issues is the spawning of haddock, which the Ministry of Oil and Industry promises it will not disturb by remaining at least 50 kilometres off shore during the haddock spawning season. But environmentalists and fisherman say that will not be enough, and that spawning season has not yet ended.

The seismic date collection project got the go ahead after the Ministry of Oil and Energy struck a compromise with the Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal affairs. Bellona?s Hauge said the oil project is ?very worrying considering that this is the spawning season for the fish.?

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www.bellona.org