[shiftpgdn]

From what I've seen is all the survey shops are just bleeding money because A. Surves equipment has a huge and expensive monthly cost. B. Most supermajors aren't ordering new surveys like they used to, instead they're choosing to have old data re-proccessed.

[doodlebugging]

Acquisition is always the last thing to recover after a bust. There is so much legacy data around for reprocessing that all they need do is find someone with data in their prospective area and have it reprocessed using the latest imaging tools. A lot cheaper than acquiring new data.

Also, there is a shift in the industry from ownership of the survey equipment (sensors, recording systems, etc.) to rental of everything. Manufacturers build it all, rent it out for custom surveys, maintain it and service it all, train the equipment operators, etc. That cuts costs and makes acquisition a matter of retaining trained personnel for key positions and recruiting trainable people for the rest.