DWH Impacts on Fish, Fisheries and Marine Ecosystems An Evolving Picture Steven Murawski University of South Florida smurawski@usf.edu Oil Spill Science Seminar SeaGrant/GSMFC March 18, 215 1
Impacts on Fisheries An Outline Impacts on Fisheries Catch, value, demand Social Impacts (displacement) Seafood Safety and Potential Exposure Chronic vs. Event-oriented Impacts (exposure vectors and oil remaining in the environment) Oil Spill Impacts on Fished Populations: Direct Mortalities Adults, juveniles, larvae Sub-lethal (growth, recruitment, immune, reproductive, genotoxic) Future Work & Final Thoughts
Changes in Commercial Landings and Value Metric Tons (thousands) 14 12 1 8 6 4 2 White + Brown Shrimp 55 5 45 4 35 Value ($ millions) 29 21 211 212 213 3 3 25 Red Snapper 22 2 Metric Tons 2 15 1 18 16 14 12 Value ($ millions) 5 1 29 21 211 212 213 8
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Analysis Ongoing of Spatial Displacement & Impacts on Catch and CPUE Reef Fishes Second half 213 86 k records 1 X 1 min cell 5
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Skin Ulcers on Red Snapper Southern hake Conger eel tilefish 7
211 vs. 212 Transactions of the American Fisheries Society July, 214 USF Press Release Headline: Skin Lesions and Oil Residue in Some Gulf of Mexico Fishes Have Declined in the Years Following Deepwater Horizon Reuters Story Headline: Research shows Gulf of Mexico oil spill caused lesions in fish -scientists 213 mean prevalence = 1.4% 214 mean prevalence =.6% http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/1.18/28487.214.91125 8
21 Disentangling DWH from Other Oil Sources 9
Ongoing Contamination Studies 1
Gall Bladder Sampled for Bile PAHs & metabolites 11
5 213 Data 4 12 3 Tilefish ug g -1 2 Red Snapper 1 King Snake Eel Red Snapper Bile metabolites concentrations of PAHs in NGoM Fishes
DWH Fish Comparisons to Some Global Baselines GOOMEX 13
PAH Profiles of Oil & Fish Livers Very Close Resemblance between 56 specimens of Livers of Red Snappers from NGM and Macondo oil profiles (r 2 =.82) Similar situation in Exxon Valdez with Pink Salmon 14
Major Sediment Discoveries Significant quantities of oil remain trapped in deep-sea sediments (4-1% of the total oil released to the ocean) Spatial & temporal offset between surface oil coverage & foot-print of sedimentary oil deposition 85 DayGridded Average Surface Coverage Oil-Cover April August Red = >9% 21 Yellow = <45% From: I. MacDonald SedimentPAH PAHRatio Ratio Sediment Post-/Pre-Blowout Post-/Pre-Blowout July212 212 July
Major Sediment Discoveries Abrupt changes in the sedimentary depositional system at 1-12m during the DwH blowout No Bioturbation in 21-212 147m Sediments PCB-6 DeSoto Canyon 7 nm ENE of DWH 1115 m Sediments DSH 8 (N-S 1 cm line) 2 nm NE of DWH 5 cm 5 cm Why no bioturbation in these oligotrophic environments??
Population Biology and Contamination of Gulper Sharks in the NGoM Centrophorus uyato = Little Gulper Pupping grounds? Dimorphic Size composition By sex Jacquelin Hipes M.S. student, C-IMAGE chrysene-like metabolites in bile of gulper sharks D. Grubbs, J. Gelsleichter DEEP-C 17
Potential Demographic Impacts, Recruitment & Growth Longline samples Increment Width (mm).3.25.2.15 Mean Otolith Increment Width Through Years Oil spill Increment Number 3 4 5 6 7 Elizabeth Herdter, M.S., USF 26 27 28 29 21 211 212 Year 18
SEAMAP Data, 1982-Present Neuston & Bongo Samples = What if? 19
Speckled trout Striped Codlet Silver anchovy Fringed flounder Deep-water bristle-mouth Mueller's pearlside Sand sea trout Bluefin tuna Large-head hairtail Scaled sardine Spanish mackerel Emily Chancellor M.S. Thesis USF 2
Scenario 1-27N and 85W Days 1-2 Days 21-4 Days 41-6 Days 61-8 CMS Simulations D. Lindo & C. Paris 21
Scenario 2-27N and 93.5W Days 1-2 Days 21-4 Days 41-6 Days 61-8 CMS Simulations D. Lindo & C. Paris 22
DHOS Effects on Reef Fishes Photo: David Doubilet 25 km DWH Gulf of Mexico Natural and artificial reefs sampled quarterly from fall 21 through Dec 214; GOMRI funding through 217 CTD casts, ROV transects, fish samples Will Patterson, DISL
Recruitment Issues ngom Reef Fishes? Gray Triggerfish Tomtate Gray Snapper Greater Amberjack 2 15 1 5 2 15 1 5 2 15 1 5 2 15 1 5 2 15 1 5 Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 Yr-1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 Yr-2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 Yr-3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 Yr-4-34% -19% -64% -76% 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 Pre Yr-1 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 15 Yr-2 Yr-3 Yr-4-17% -6% 1 2 3 4 5 +18% 1 2 3 4 5 +18% 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 n = 417 Fork length mm n = 664 Total length mm n = 319 Total length mm n = 887 Total length mm 15 1 5 15 1 5 1 5 15 1 5 15 1 5 Pre Yr-1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 Yr-2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 Yr-3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 Yr-4-24% -75% -3% -1% 15 1 5 15 1 5 15 1 5 15 1 5 15 1 5 Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 Yr-1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 Yr-2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 Yr-3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 Yr-4-54% -68% +151% +112% Declines in small, young fish apparent among several reef fish species Recruitment to reefs increased for some species by year-3 post-dwh Will Patterson, DISL
Estimated Red Snapper Recruitment 175 15 Recruitment 1 6 age- fish 125 1 75 5 West Estimated Projected 25 East SEDAR 214 Stock Assessment 1985 199 1995 2 25 21 215 Year
Estimated & Projected RS Spawning Potential Ratio SSB/SSB unfished 4 35 3 25 2 15 1 Estimated Projected West East 5 2 25 21 215 22 225 23 Year
Application of Recent Baselines Hercules #265 Gas Well exploded July, 213 multi-center response by GoMRI-funded researchers (ECOGIG, CARTHE, DEEP-C, CWC, C-IMAGE) Long lining July August 213 Weatherbird II cruise Baselines from 211 and 212 available for fish 27 bile
Red Snapper bile Its burning! 28
Possibility of More Informative Baselines? Gulf-Wide Comparisons? 29
Gulf-Wide Fish Survey, 215-217
Final Thoughts Considerable new information on the impacts of oil spills on fish and their ecosystems has been generated by GoMRI and other supported research A return to baselines for a number of contamination biomarkers and ecosystem attributes (carbon & other elements), but not back to pre-spill conditions yet please encourage more baseline data! As with Exxon Valdez, it takes time to understand the population consequences, and at t +5 years we should be seeing them Results indicate the importance of controlled exposures of species and mesocosms to understand uptake and depuration dynamics GoMRI-supported research has resulted in fundamental research on new classes of indicators that will apply to future spill responses 31
Questions? Acknowledgements: BP/GoMRI (C-IMAGE I & II) NOAA/NMFS State of Louisiana Gulf Sea Grant Programs 32
Backup Slides 33
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Compared to GoM Baselines Compared to Global Studies Susan Snyder M.S. thesis 35
Total PAH (ppb) Carcinogenic PAH (ppb) Mesopelagic communities in the GoM: Mesopelagic fishes of the north-central Gulf of Mexico and preliminary Total PAHs trophodynamics descriptions Carcinogenic PAHs Temporal variability Temporal variability Mesopelagic (muscle) Steve W. Ross, A.M. Quattrini, A. Roa-Varón, and J.P. McClain University of North Carolina-Wilmington 27 21 211Center for Marine Science Isabel Romero, USF post-doc, Hollander Lab Benzo(a)pyrene, Benzo(a)anthracene, Benzo(b)fluoranthene, Benzo(k)fluoranthene, Chrysene, Indenol (1,2,3-cd)pyrene, Debenzo(a,h)anthracene
Mass Accumulation Rate MAR (g/cm 2 /yr) Major Sediment Discoveries 234 Th-Mass Accumulation Rate Define Pulse Sediment Event (MOSSFA) Deposition/Sedimentation 2 1.5 DWH Blowout Event Pulse ( 234 Th) Site ID Water Depth M-4 4m P-6 143m D-8 114m D-1 152m 1.5 Decreasing MOSSFA Inputs Still Elevated wrt Pre-Event ( 234 Th) Recovery of Bioturbation at DSH-8 Increases Th Penetration Pre- Event 21 Pb MAR 19-2.1. April Aug. July Dec. Feb. Sept. Aug. 21 211 212 213 Aug. 214 234 Th Inventories (input indicator) show continued reduction in 213-214 at all sites At DSH-8 a return of sediment bioturbation is controlling increasing 234 Th MAR Aug.
Recent Trends in the Value of GoM Commercial Fisheries $ Value (x 1) 1 8 6 4 2 All Species $ Value (x1) 5 4 3 2 1 Shrimp (all species) Y $ Value (x 1) 8 6 4 2 28 29 21 211 212 213 Oyster 28 29 21 211 212 213 $ Value (x1) 16 14 28 29 21 211 212 213 Red Snapper 12 1 8 6 4 2 28 29 21 211 212 213