Saving the Sea and the Sea Islands

Gullah/Geechee Nation ♦ June 5, 2019 ♦ 2 Comments

The Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition, Gullah/Geechee Sustainability Think Tank, and the Gullah/Geechee Fishing Association has consistently stood up for the waterways of the Gullah/Geechee Nation against the human behaviors that are bringing negative impacts of climate change and sea level rise and are advocating against ocean acidification and water pollution. One of the additional human behaviors that they have stood up against has been the political process of attempting to authorize oil drilling in the Atlantic Ocean. In order to scout for oil, seismic guns are used. Therefore, the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition and the Gullah/Geechee Fishing Association joined as parties in a lawsuit filed against this.

In February 2019, on behalf of sixteen South Carolina coastal communities and small businesses, the South Carolina Environmental Law Project (SCELP), which is a member of the Gullah/Geechee Sustainability Think Tank, filed a motion for a preliminary injunction in Federal District Court in Charleston, asserting that seismic blasting will cause irreparable harm and is contrary to the public interest. SCELP’s lawsuit against the federal government is consolidated with leading regional and national conservation organizations, which filed a separate lawsuit seeking to block seismic surveys off the Atlantic coast to prevent harm to ocean life.

Seismic airgun surveying is a precursor to drilling off our shores, which every coastal community along the state, from North Myrtle Beach to Hilton Head Island, has opposed. The blasting process sets off extremely loud, continuous and damaging levels of noise that could deafen, injure or kill whales, dolphins, sea turtles and other iconic marine life. It causes massive damage to zooplankton, the base of the oceanic food chain, and dramatically reduces the catch rates for commercial and recreational fishers. When SCELP filed its initial lawsuit on Dec. 11, 2018 in Federal District Court, they contested the validity of five incidental harassment authorizations issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service that allow seismic companies to harm and harass of hundreds of thousands of marine mammals.

The sixteen municipalities that SCELP is representing, Hilton Head Island, Bluffton, Port Royal, Beaufort, Edisto Beach, Seabrook Island, Kiawah Island, Folly Beach, James Island, Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Isle of Palms, Awendaw, Pawleys Island, Briarcliffe Acres and North Myrtle Beach, are concerned about the economic and environmental impacts. The South Carolina Small Business Chamber, also a plaintiff in the lawsuit, points to the fact that seismic blasts drive away fish, whales and dolphins that help support the fishing and tourism industries along the coast.

Moving forward with explorations will have grave consequences for our beloved coastal ecosystems, which is why SCELP has asked Judge Richard Gergel to block companies from initiating seismic tests in search of oil and natural gas deposits off the South Carolina coast until he can hear and rule on the merits of the case.

“As Mayor, I recognize the value of our military and retirement community, and our attraction as a tourist destination, which will be put at risk by the proposed seismic blasting activities. I am aware that the Department of Defense opposes seismic testing when put forth in President Obama’s five-year plan for energy exploration which was in the end withdrawn by that administration,” said Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling.

He continued, “Our economy is built on the value of our natural assets, specifically the abundant opportunities for recreation and observation of marine life, alone with recreational, commercial and sustenance fisheries. Tourists come here especially to observe marine mammals and our businesses depend on our healthy and vibrant population of marine life, including dolphins and sea turtles. Our fishermen depend on the ability to catch fish in waters off our shores, and commercial fishing still supports the livelihood for many families, In addition, we have businesses that provide fishing excursions and commercial charters that take people from one of our three marinas into the City into waters off our shores. We have major seafood operations that distribute nearly all locally caught seafood throughout the State and beyond. And we have boat dealers who are dependent upon these businesses, as well as an estimated 10,000 plus recreational boaters and three marinas within the City that serve local and transient boats.”

“The members of the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition receive funds to continue their mission through offering ecotourism and cultural tourism tours, as well as providing education presentations to various local and tourists groups.” said Queen Quet Marquetta L. Goodwine, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation and a native of St. Helena Island.

She added, “The members of the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition are tremendously concerned about the impacts the proposed seismic testing will have on the ecology of our fisheries habitat, including the consequences of many species being displaced because of the activity. To our knowledge, seismic gun testing will change the ecological balance of the waterway in which it is done. This will cause certain ocean species to migrate away from the coast of our Sea Islands.”

“The coastal municipalities and small business chamber rely on the health and vitality of the marine ecosystem to support the quality of life and livelihood of their residents, as well as their local tourism and fisheries economies. They have very real, scientifically-supported concerns about how seismic blasting will harm marine life, which in turn will harm tourism, recreational and commercial fisheries, and the quality of life of their citizens,” said Amy Armstrong, executive director of SCELP.

The groups that engaged in this lawsuit continued to stand up with other United States national groups and governments along the eastern seaboard in opposing seismic gun testing and offshore drilling. Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation (www.QueenQuet.com) and Founder of the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition (www.GullahGeechee.net) was brought in to testify before the United States Congress

and before the South Carolina General Assembly.

After a long day of discussion in the South Carolina General Assembly, they approved a one-year ban on the onshore infrastructure necessary for offshore oil and gas drilling. Representative Williams from Hampton County, SC made sure to discuss this on Gullah/Geechee TV (GGTV) the same evening that Hampton County, SC proclaimed “Gullah/Geechee Nation Appreciation Week 2019:”

As a result of this victory at home, United States Representative Joe Cunningham stated:

“South Carolina has made it abundantly clear that offshore drilling is unwanted, dangerous, and a threat to our way of life in the Palmetto State. I applaud the General Assembly for taking a bipartisan stand against offshore drilling and I urge my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to do the same. Congress must pass my bill, HR 1941, the Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act, to permanently ban on offshore drilling and protect coastal communities once and for all.”

Representative Cunningham continues to stand with Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation at numerous events in South Carolina to protect the sea and the Sea Islands and to keep Gullah/Geechee culture alive therein. Queen Quet is taking the message to protect the sea and save the Sea Islands of the Gullah/Geechee Nation around the world. So, as World Oceans Day 2019 approaches, we pray that the tide of continued support against seismic gun testing and offshore drilling continues to rise higher and flood out this issue permanently.

#GullahGeechee #Culture4Climate #ProtectOurCoast #SaveOurOcean #StoptheDrill