Factors affecting the abundance of selected fishes near oil and gas platforms in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1991 · Fishery Bulletin; (United States)

OSTI ID:5964850

Stanley, D R; Wilson, C A ^[1]

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1. Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge (United States)

A logbook program was initiated to determine the relative abundance of selected fish species around oil and gas platforms off the Louisiana coast. Logbooks were maintained by 55 anglers and 10 charterboat operators from March 1987 to March 1988. A total of 36,839 fish were caught representing over 46 different species. Principal component analysis (PCA) grouped the seventeen most abundant species into reef fish, pelagic fish, bluefish-red drum, Atlantic croaker-silver/sand seatrout, and cobia-shark-blue runner associations. Multiple regression analyses were used to compare PCA groupings to physical platform, temporal, geological, and angler characteristic variables and their interactions. Reef fish, Atlantic croaker, and silver/sand seatrout abundances were highest near large, structurally complex platforms in relatively deep water. High spotted seatrout abundances were correlated with small, unmanned oil and gas platforms in shallow water. Pelagic fish, bluefish, red drum, cobia, and shark abundances were not related to the physical parameters of the platforms.

• OSTI ID: 5964850
• Journal Information: Fishery Bulletin; (United States), Vol. 89:1; ISSN 0099-5487
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
FISHES
ECOLOGY
OFFSHORE PLATFORMS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
ABUNDANCE
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
GULF OF MEXICO
LOUISIANA
NATURAL GAS
PETROLEUM
POPULATION DYNAMICS
REGRESSION ANALYSIS
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
ATLANTIC OCEAN
CARIBBEAN SEA
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ENERGY SOURCES
EVALUATION
FEDERAL REGION VI
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
MATHEMATICS
NORTH AMERICA
SEAS
STATISTICS
SURFACE WATERS
USA
VERTEBRATES
020900* - Petroleum- Environmental Aspects