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USGS Finds No Influence of Oil Platforms on Contaminant Levels in California Fishes

By Guest PostApril 12, 2013Environmentboem, california, california fishes, coast of california, contaminant levels, donna schroeder, fishermen, flame retardants, local fish populations, marine biologist, natural oil seeps, no influence, ocps, offshore energy development, offshore environment, oil platforms, pah contamination, pahs, pbdes, PCBs, pesticides, platform habitats, polybrominated diphenylethers, polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, rigs to reefs, robert gale, rockfishes, san pedro basin, santa barbara channel, southern california, usgs

Fishes residing near oil platforms in southern California have similar contaminant levels as fishes in nearby natural sites, according to two recent reports by the U.S. Geological Survey, which were conducted to assist the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in understanding potential consequences of offshore energy development.

Since the underwater portion of many offshore oil and gas platforms often provides habitat to a large number of fishes and invertebrates, some stakeholders have called for ocean managers to consider a “rigs-to-reefs” option during the decommissioning phase of a platform. This option would maintain some of the submerged structure to function as an artificial reef after oil and gas production has ended. The findings of this study address questions regarding how the industrial legacy of this kind of artificial reef may affect local fish populations. (more…)

Recreational Fishing Brings Salt Marsh Die-Off

By Guest PostJune 18, 2012Environmentaerial photographs, alternative hypotheses, andrew altieri, blue crabs, brown university, cape cod, christine angelini, coastline, ecologists, ecosystem, erosion, factor, filter pollutants, fishermen, grasses, mark bertness, nicholas hermann, predator, protect, recreational fishing, salt marsh, sesarma crabs, sesarma populations, smooth dogfish, trophic cascade, tyler coverdale

As recreational fishing activity has reduced predators in many of Cape Cod’s salt marsh ecosystems, Sesarma crabs have feasted on grasses, causing dramatic die-offs of the marshes, according to a new study. The researchers assessed the “trophic cascade” in several experiments that also ruled out alternative explanations for the problem.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Recreational fishing is a major contributor to the rapid decline of important salt marshes along Cape Cod because it strips top predators such as striped bass, blue crabs, and smooth dogfish out of the ecosystem, according to new research by Brown University ecologists.

With far fewer predators in areas where recreational fishing is prevalent, native Sesarma crabs have had relatively free rein to eat salt marsh grasses, causing the ecosystem to collapse, said Mark Bertness, chair of Brown’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and the paper’s senior author. He led a series of experiments and measurements published online in the journal Ecology that he said unavoidably implicate recreational fishing in marsh die-off. (more…)

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USGS Finds No Influence of Oil Platforms on Contaminant Levels in California Fishes

Recreational Fishing Brings Salt Marsh Die-Off