Amendment of Environmental Management Programmes for Mining Rights 554MRC, 10025MRC, 512MRC and 513MRC Marine and Coastal Ecology Assessment Prepared for: SLR Environmental Consulting (Pty) Ltd On behalf of: Alexkor RMC Pooling and Sharing JV October 2017 Amendment of Environmental Management Programmes for Mining Rights 554MRC, 10025MRC, 512MRC and 513MRC MARINE AND COASTAL ECOLOGY ASSESSMENT Prepared for SLR Environmental Consulting (Pty) Ltd On behalf of: Alexkor RMC Pooling and Sharing JV Prepared by Andrea Pulfrich Pisces Environmental Services (Pty) Ltd September 2017 Contact Details: Andrea Pulfrich Pisces Environmental Services PO Box 31228, Tokai 7966, South Africa, Tel: +27 21 782 9553 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.pisces.co.za MARINE and COASTAL ECOLOGY – EMPR Amendment for Mining Rights 554MRC, 10025MRC, 512MRC and 513MRC TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 1.1. Scope of Work ................................................................................................ 1 1.2. Approach to the Study ...................................................................................... 2 1.2.1 Assumptions, Limitations and Information Gaps ................................................ 2 1.2.2 Impact Assessment Methodology .................................................................. 3 2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT ......................................................................... 6 2.1. Introduction................................................................................................... 6 2.2. Marine Prospecting .......................................................................................... 9 2.2.1 Geophysical Surveys ................................................................................. 9 2.2.2 Sampling ............................................................................................ 10 2.3. Marine Mining ............................................................................................... 11 2.3.1 Boat- and Shore-Based Diver Assisted Mining ................................................. 11 2.3.1.1 Boat-based diver assisted mining .................................................. 11 2.3.1.2 Shore-based diver assisted mining ................................................. 12 2.3.2 Coffer Dam Mining ................................................................................. 13 2.3.3 Inter-Tidal Beach Mining Using Mobile Pump Units ........................................... 14 2.3.4 Large Vessel Mining ............................................................................... 15 2.3.4.1 Vessel-based remote dredge pump mining ....................................... 15 2.3.4.2 Vessel-based airlift mining.......................................................... 15 2.3.4.3 Vessel-based remote crawler mining .............................................. 17 3. DESCRIPTION OF THE BASELINE MARINE ENVIRONMENT ........................................................ 18 3.1. Geophysical Characteristics .............................................................................. 18 3.1.1 Bathymetry ......................................................................................... 18 3.1.2 Coastal and Inner-shelf Geology and Seabed Geomorphology .............................. 19 3.2. Biophysical Characteristics ............................................................................... 20 3.2.1 Wind Patterns ...................................................................................... 20 3.2.2 Large-Scale Circulation and Coastal Currents ................................................. 22 3.2.3 Waves and Tides ................................................................................... 23 3.2.4 Water ................................................................................................ 23 3.2.5 Upwelling & Plankton Production ............................................................... 25 3.2.6 Organic Inputs ...................................................................................... 25 3.2.7 Low Oxygen Events ................................................................................ 26 3.2.8 Turbidity ............................................................................................ 27 3.3. The Biological Environment .............................................................................. 30 3.3.1 Sandy and Unconsolidated Substrate Habitats and Biota .................................... 31 Pisces Environmental Services (Pty) Ltd i MARINE and COASTAL ECOLOGY – EMPR Amendment for Mining Rights 554MRC, 10025MRC, 512MRC and 513MRC 3.3.1.1 Intertidal Sandy Beaches ......................................................... 31 3.3.1.2 Nearshore and Offshore unconsolidated habitats ............................... 34 3.3.2 Rocky Substrate Habitats and Biota ............................................................ 37 3.3.2.1 Intertidal Rocky Shores ........................................................... 37 3.3.2.2 Rocky Subtidal Habitat and Kelp Beds.......................................... 40 3.3.2.3 Deep-water coral communities .................................................. 42 3.3.3 The Water Body ................................................................................ 45 3.3.3.1 Demersal Fish Species ............................................................... 45 Plankton .......................................................................................... 46 3.3.3.2 Pelagic Communities ................................................................. 47 Cephalopods ..................................................................................... 48 Pelagic Fish ...................................................................................... 48 Turtles ............................................................................................ 53 Seabirds .......................................................................................... 55 Marine Mammals ................................................................................ 57 3.4. Other Uses of the Area .................................................................................... 67 3.4.1 Beneficial Uses ..................................................................................... 67 3.4.1.1 Diamond Mining ....................................................................... 67 3.4.1.2 Hydrocarbons ......................................................................... 67 3.4.1.3 Kelp Collecting ....................................................................... 68 3.4.1.4 Large-scale Commercial Fisheries ................................................. 72 3.4.1.5 Rock Lobster Fishery ................................................................. 72 3.4.1.6 Recreational Fisheries ............................................................... 73 3.4.1.7 Mariculture ............................................................................ 74 3.4.2 Conservation Areas and Marine Protected Areas ............................................. 74 3.4.3 Threat Status and Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems ............................................ 77 4. LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS ........................................................................................ 82 4.1. National Legislation ....................................................................................... 82 4.2. International Marine Pollution Conventions ........................................................... 82 4.3. Other South African Legislation ......................................................................... 82 5. ASSESSMENT OF IMPACTS OF COASTAL AND OFFSHORE MINING ON MARINE FAUNA ........................ 84 5.1. Identification of Impacts ................................................................................. 84 5.2. Project Controls ............................................................................................ 86 5.3. Assessment of Impacts .................................................................................... 86 5.3.1 Physical disturbance of benthic habitats ................................................... 86 5.3.1.1 Disturbance and loss of supratidal habitats and associated biota ............ 86 5.3.1.2 Disturbance and loss of intertidal and shallow subtidal habitats and associated biota ................................................................................ 89 5.3.1.3 Physical disturbance of the seabed during prospecting and mining operations in deeper waters ................................................................. 100 Pisces Environmental Services (Pty) Ltd ii MARINE and COASTAL ECOLOGY – EMPR Amendment for Mining Rights 554MRC, 10025MRC, 512MRC and 513MRC 5.3.2 Discharge of tailings from classifiers and on-board treatment plants and redistribution of cofferdam wall sediments .......................................................... 108 5.3.3 Disturbance of marine biota by noise ...................................................... 119 5.3.3.1 Generation of underwater noise .................................................. 120 5.3.3.2 Physiological injury in response to geophysical surveying .................... 122 5.3.3.3 Behavioural changes and masking of biologically-relevant sounds in marine fauna in response to geophysical surveying and underwater mining noise