And as the fish have declined, so have their predators, including squid, blue crabs, bottlenose dolphins, oysters, red snapper and southern hake.Ī man holds a handwritten sign scientifically identifying a dead dolphin lying on a Louisiana beach. Over time, they saw increased levels of skin lesions on fish, which decreased over time.īut fish populations near the site of the explosion have decreased between 50 and 80% since 2010. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File) Gerald Herbert/APĪn oil spill that began 15 years ago is up to a thousand times worse than the rig owner's estimate, study finds 15, 2004 knocked over a Taylor Energy Co. Oil and gas have been leaking into the Gulf of Mexico since a subsea mudslide caused by Hurricane Ivan on Sept. But the report contradicts the well owner's assertions about the amount and source of oil. A new federally led estimate of oil seeping from a platform toppled off Louisiana 14½ years ago is below other recent estimates. “Literally all the fish that we’ve tested have some level of hydrocarbon there are no pristine fish in this system.”įILE- In this Maaerial photo, the wake of a supply vessel heading towards a working platform crosses over an oil sheen drifting from the site of the former Taylor Energy oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Louisiana. Murawksi is lead of the international research effort and professor of fisheries biology at the University of South Florida. “This was the first baseline study of its kind, and it’s shocking that we haven’t done this before given the economic value of fisheries and petroleum extraction in the Gulf of Mexico,” Steven Murawksi said in a statement. Oil and gas platforms can release it, as well as boats and airplanes. Oil and gas activity is high in the northern Gulf. The oil even attached itself to plankton, which landed on the seafloor.Ĭoastal runoff from heavily populated areas, like Tampa Bay, can also contribute to these hotspots of oil pollution in the ocean. Storms and currents stir up oily sediments, which keeps exposing fish living toward the bottom of the Gulf over and over. The highest levels of oil pollution were found in fish living in the northern Gulf of Mexico, where the Deepwater Horizon spill occurred. So where is the oil pollution we detected in tunas coming from?”ĭuring the study, thousands of fish were weighed and their fin clips removed for genetic analyses. “Although water concentrations of PAHs can vary considerably, they are generally found at trace levels or below detection limits in the water column. Pulster, the lead study author, is a researcher in the University of South Florida’s College of Marine Science. “We were quite surprised that among the most contaminated species was the fast-swimming yellowfin tuna as they are not found at the bottom of the ocean where most oil pollution in the Gulf occurs,” Erin Pulster said in a statement. The study published last week in the journal Scientific Reports. Coast Guard via Getty Imagesĭeepwater Horizon spill was about 30% bigger than previously thought, study saysĪnd high levels of PAHs appeared in fish that don’t call the seafloor home. Multiple Coast Guard helicopters, planes and cutters responded to rescue the Deepwater Horizon's 126 person crew. An estimated leak of 1,000 barrels of oil a day are still leaking into the gulf. Coast Guard, fire boat response crews battle the blazing remnants of the off shore oil rig Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico on Apnear New Orleans, Louisiana. In this handout image provided be the U.S.
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