Ecology of Oil/Gas Platforms Offshore California
The report summarizes the ecology of fishes and attached epifauna that associate with offshore oil and gas platforms of California and an evaluation of actual and potential use of the platforms for mariculture. The attached invertebrate biota in the upper 35 m of the water column is dominated by bay (Mytilus edulis) or California (M. californianus) mussels, depending upon location and/or age of the structure, with other mollusks, barnacles and polychaetes being of secondary importance. The attached community may take up to five years to fully develop. The fish fauna at shallow (less than 45 m of water), nearshore platforms is dominated by surfperches and rockfishes; major species in this assemblage are about equally divided between those with relatively large mouths (which consume large organisms such as crabs and small fish) and those with relatively small mouths (which graze on small epifauna and planktonic organisms). The fish fauna may take two years to attain a relatively stable community structure. The fish fauna at nearshore platforms is similar to that at natural reefs and oil islands in the area, but is more diverse among common species. As opposed to these other structures, platforms lack fish which associated with algae.
- Research Organization:
- MBC Applied Environmental Sciences, Inc., Costa Mesa, CA (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 6592963
- Report Number(s):
- PB-90-261728/XAB; CNN: MMS-14-12-0001-30294
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: See also PB--90-261710
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
03 NATURAL GAS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CALIFORNIA
OFFSHORE PLATFORMS
ECOLOGY
AQUACULTURE
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
FISHES
MOLLUSCS
MUSSELS
NATURAL GAS WELLS
OIL WELLS
PLANKTON
ANIMALS
ECOSYSTEMS
FEDERAL REGION IX
INVERTEBRATES
NORTH AMERICA
USA
VERTEBRATES
WELLS
020900* - Petroleum- Environmental Aspects
030800 - Natural Gas- Environmental Aspects
540350 - Environment
Aquatic- Site Resource & Use Studies- (1990-)