| MMS ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES PROGRAM: ONGOING STUDIES | ||||||
| MMS OCS Region: | Pacific | |||||
| Title: | Comparison of growth rate of painted greenling (Oxylebius pictus) among offshore platforms and natural reefs. | |||||
| Actual Costs: | $7,500.00 | Period of Performance: | FY2006-2008 | |||
| Conducting Organization: | University of California-Santa Barbara (Contact: Milton Love) | |||||
| MMS Contact: | Dr. Ann.S.Bull | |||||
| Description: | ||||||
| Background | ||||||
| One of the major issues in the disposition of decommissioned oil platforms is the need for research that assesses the quality of platforms as habitat for ecologically and commercially important invertebrates and fishes. In particular, differences in the availability of prey resources among platform and natural reef habitats might be reflected in indices of ecological performance (body weight, growth rate) of fishes that feed on these invertebrates. The condition factor (a measure of the nutritional state) of a common reef fish, painted greenling, varies among platform and natural reef locations in association with the availability of amphipod prey. Analysis of archived samples will estimate growth of the painted greenling at platforms and reef study sites. These growth data will be combined with pre-existing data on fish condition to obtain a more complete picture of the ecological performance of reef fish at platforms and natural reefs. | ||||||
| Objectives | ||||||
| To obtain estimates of daily growth rate from archived samples of painted greenlings from platforms and natural reef study sites. | ||||||
| Methods | ||||||
| Approximately 120 otoliths removed from painted greenlings sampled in April and September 2004 from Platforms Holly and Houchin and from Naples and Mohawk Reefs in the Santa Barbara Channel will be analyzed in an otolith aging laboratory by trained personnel from University of California. | ||||||
| Importance to MMS | ||||||
| The Pacific Region requires these data and information in order to make informed decisions about potential use of platforms in the future on a case-by-case basis. The added data will increase the accuracy of assessing whether the increased health of the rockfish at platforms compared to natural reefs is indisputable. We will use these data and the general knowledge gained in future decommissioning analyses (NEPA documents), design of mitigations when removing platforms (along with the fish transplant study starting this year). Specifically, knowing that older versus younger fish at platforms were healthier than their counterparts at natural reefs might indicate that the older fish are finding the platforms to be important sources of food whereas younger fish are not so dependent upon the platform fouling organisms. | ||||||
| Current Status: | ||||||
| On-going. The investigators have completed otolith preparation. | ||||||
| Final Report Due: | 02/01/2008 | |||||
| Publications: | ||||||
| Affiliated WWW Sites: | http://www.csulb.edu/web/labs/sharklab/research/drlowe/rockfish.shtml | |||||
| Revised date: | December 1, 2006 | |||||
| ESPIS |
ESPIS - All completed
ESP Studies: |
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