SANDY HOOK, N.J. — Two US senators from New Jersey and environmental groups from around the country are trying to ban the use of sound blasts to survey the Atlantic Ocean.

Seismic surveying involves blasting the ocean floor with sound waves that bounce off the sea bed and are recorded by ships. It’s extremely useful in finding deposits of oil and natural gas. But there is concern that it can be harmful to marine life, including endangered whales, turtles, and dolphins.

The push for a ban comes as federal officials consider what would be one of the largest tests ever planned for the Atlantic.

Three companies have applied for permits to use seismic surveying, and a fourth would use another sound-based technology to search for oil and gas deposits under the ocean floor between Delaware and Florida.

Their main obstacle is a permit authorizing them to harass or harm marine animals while doing the work. The National Marine Fisheries Service is considering the applications.

New Jersey’s two Democratic US senators, Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, have introduced a bill to ban seismic testing in the Atlantic Ocean. It is likely to draw opposition from senators from oil- and gas-producing states.

Environmentalists say the noise and shock waves from the testing can injure or kill marine animals. The blasting could be nearly continuous, every few seconds around the clock, for a year.

New Jersey environmental groups fought unsuccessfully for two years to block a similar but much smaller project off the coast of their state that was carried out last summer.

Associated Press