New oil drilling off Namibia’s Lüderitz coast is expected to have little effect on the country’s fishing industry, according to a recent report by TotalEnergies.

The study says some fish and seabed animals might be slightly affected by mud, chemicals, and underwater noise from drilling, but the impact is minor. Large fishing boats will need to avoid safety zones around the oil sites, while small coastal fishers are mostly unaffected.

TotalEnergies and its partners are holding public consultations before the project gets government approval. The offshore operation plans to drill up to 40 wells to extract oil from deep under the seabed.