5/7/2023 0 Comments Northern red snapper![]() ![]() A cutoff structure is formed when the top of the oil platform is severed at a depth >26m and either taken to shore, or left on the seafloor to create a smaller system next to the larger remaining section. A standing rig is one where no major structural changes have occurred. There are three categories of rig structures that serve as artificial reefs: (1) standing rigs that are no longer in service (2) cutoff rigs and (3) toppled rigs. ![]() However, during the mid-1970s the United States Department of Interior initiated the Rigs-to-Reef program (Reggio 1987) to transition decommissioned rigs into permanent artificial reefs (Kaiser and Pulsipher, 2005). ![]() Federal legislation(s) require that abandoned rigs be removed within a year from being decommissioned (Sammarco et al., 2014 Rusco 2017). Rigs providing large surface areas attract many animals and provide some of the only hard substrate available in various locations to support organisms (Shinn 1974). The GoM contains numerous non-operational (but potentially exuding oil) oil and gas infrastructure in the northern GoM, which function as artificial reef systems (Gallaway et al., 2009 Reynolds et al., 2018). Producing and abandoned oil infrastructures (e.g., production platforms, pipelines, pumping stations, etc.) particularly in the western GoM constitute the bulk of “artificial reefs” (Kaiser and Pulsipher, 2005). Natural reef structures consist of coral reefs and carbonate rock outcroppings, whereas artificial reefs consist primarily of various engineered structures such as concrete slabs, reef “balls”, tires, abandoned vehicles, sunken ships and other debris, which serve as aggregating locations for bottom-dwelling fishes (Rezak et al., 1990). Juvenile Red Snapper prefer shallow, sandy bottom areas, feeding primarily on small zooplankton or squid until they experience an ontogenic shift to primarily feeding on crustaceans and other fishes while occupying hard bottom habitats as adults (Wells et al., 2008).Īdult and large juvenile Red Snapper congregate around both natural and artificial reef structures, which are thus important recreational fishing locations (Bradley and Bryan, 1975 Streich et al., 2017b). Spawning occurs from May through early October with peak production in August (Collins et al., 1996). Red Snapper grow rapidly, initiate spawning in their second year and are relatively long-lived (40–50 years) (Wilson and Nieland, 2001). Red Snapper ( Lutjanus campechanus) are a primary target species of reef fish fisheries throughout the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and along the Atlantic coast of the United States. Thus, the scale at which samples are collected and compared is critical to understanding the cumulative impacts of oil and gas activities and underscores the need for further research at multiple scales across the GoM. However, biliary PAH concentrations in fish collected outside of the densely populated oil and gas infrastructure fields had significantly lower PAH levels ( p < 0.001). No significant differences were found in PAH concentrations between sexes or between structure type for both biliary, liver, or, muscle PAH concentrations, likely due to the close proximity of the natural and anthropogenic sites sampled (within 97 km radius). Average PAH concentrations were significantly higher (p < 0.001) in livers than in gonads and muscle tissue. There were no significant results from the biometric analysis or their association with PAH's. In 2016, Red Snapper ( n = 88) were collected from natural and artificial reefs to evaluate potential differences in PAH exposures and body burdens. natural reefs), of Red Snapper collected in the northwestern GoM. The objectives of this study were to measure and compare PAH concentrations between tissue matrices (liver, gonad, muscle, and bile), by sex and location (e.g., artificial oil and gas infrastructure vs. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), are a small but toxic component of crude oil released into GoM waters through both anthropogenic (e.g., oil and gas activities) and natural (e.g., hydrocarbon seeps) sources. oil and gas platforms) and natural habitats (e.g. ![]() Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) are an important fishery resource in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and are found in abundance around artificial (e.g. ![]()
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