The findings have prompted calls for both a Senate inquiry and a halt to testing scheduled to begin off King Island.

Researchers from the Tasmanian Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies and Curtin University's Centre for Marine Science and Technology found that the sensory organs and righting reflexes of the marine animal can be damaged by exposure to the air gun signals.

"While the impact of air guns on whales and fishes has been relatively well-studied, the effects on marine invertebrates such as lobsters, crabs and squid remain poorly understood," lead author Dr Ryan Day said.

"We chose to study the impact on rock lobster because they are a high value fishery and an important part of global marine ecosystems."

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Previous research has shown other species such as scallops and zooplankton can also be harmed by the marine noise caused by humans, such as seismic surveys.

The new study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, involved exposing rock lobsters in Storm Bay to the equivalent of a commercial air gun at a range of 100-150 metres.

"The damage was incurred at the time of exposure and persisted for at least one year - surprisingly, even after the exposed lobsters moulted," Dr Day added.

While the ecological impacts of the damage were not evaluated, the impairment would likely affect a lobster's ability to function in the wild for at least one year after the exposure, according to Associate Professor Jayson Semmens, the study's principal investigator.

"Such studies are important to enable government, industry and the community to make informed decisions about how such activities can best be conducted while minimising negative outcomes for fisheries and ecosystems globally," he said.

Earlier this year, petrochemical company 3D Oil applied to conduct seismic testing to further investigate resources about 18 kilometres west of King Island.

Tasmanian Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said the new research showed evidence of the harm seismic testing is likely to cause the "important" Tasmanian industry and called for the planned activity near King Island to stop.

"On the back of this report, I have also submitted a motion to the senate to establish an inquiry into the impacts on seismic testing on fisheries and the broader marine environment," Mr Whish-Wilson said.

Federal Resources Minister Matt Canavan said Australia's independent environmental and safety regulator for offshore gas and oil exploration took publicly available research findings into account when granting the necessary environmental approvals before any activity can begin.

"Australia's energy security and economic prosperity relies on finding new supplies of gas, with seismic surveys essential to identifying new reservoirs," Mr Canavan said. "Thousands of Australian manufacturing jobs depend on it."

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