Association of sea turtles with petroleum platforms in the north-central Gulf of Mexico

Technical Report · Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1990

OSTI ID:6132016

Lohoefener, R; Hoggard, W; Mullin, K; Roden, C; Rogers, C

There are over 4,500 petroleum platforms in the north-central Gulf of Mexico. Explosives are commonly used to remove platforms and have the potential to kill nearby sea turtles. From June 1988-June 1990, the authors used aerial surveys to study turtle density and the spatial relationship between turtles and platforms offshore of Louisiana. They sighted 316 turtles most of which (92%) were loggerheads. Seventy-eight percent were sighted just east of the Mississippi River offshore of the Chandeleur Islands. East of the river, turtle densities ranged from 0.92 (winter) to 4.83 turtles/100 sq km (spring). West of the river, annual densities ranged from 0.11-0.50 turtles/100 sq km. East of the river, three statistical tests indicated that turtles were generally closer to platforms than expected by chance alone. West of the river, turtles were randomly located with respect to platform locations. Before explosives are used, current mitigation measures require that no turtle can be sighted within 1,000 m of the platform. East of the river, the probability of a turtle being within 1,000 m of any platform selected at random was about 60%; west of the river, 2-7%. West of the river to about 92 W, the mitigation measures should protect turtles but offshore of the Chandeleur Islands, special precautions should be taken.

• Research Organization: National Marine Fisheries Service, Pascagoula, MS (USA). Mississippi Labs.
• OSTI ID: 6132016
• Report Number(s): PB-91-137232/XAB; CNN: DI-14-12-0001-30398
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
GULF OF MEXICO
OFFSHORE DRILLING
TURTLES
POPULATION DENSITY
UNDERWATER EXPLOSIONS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
AERIAL SURVEYING
MITIGATION
PETROLEUM
WATER POLLUTION
ANIMALS
ATLANTIC OCEAN
CARIBBEAN SEA
DRILLING
ENERGY SOURCES
EXPLOSIONS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
POLLUTION
REPTILES
SEAS
SURFACE WATERS
VERTEBRATES
020900* - Petroleum- Environmental Aspects
540320 - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)