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SEMINAR: MBF602 9/2/11 S/A 103, 12 NOON John Stieglitz: Effects of The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill On Economically Important Finfish Species of The Gulf of Mexico

From: "Maxine Williams" <mwilliams@rsmas.miami.edu>
Subject: SEMINAR: MBF602 9/2/11 S/A 103, 12 NOON John Stieglitz: Effects of The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill On Economically Important Finfish Species of The Gulf of Mexico
Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2011 15:51:48 -0400

MBF602 9/2/11 S/A 103, 12 NOON Student Speaker John Stieglitz

 

EFFECTS OF THE DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL ON ECONOMICALLY IMPORTANT FINFISH SPECIES OF THE GULF OF MEXICO

 

Abstract

The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill, lasting from April 20th to July 15th 2010, resulted in the release of approximately 200 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico (GOM).  In addition, over 1.8 million gallons of dispersants (primarily Corexit 9500 and Corexit 9527) were used as part of the cleanup effort, with roughly 40% of this total applied at depth near the wellhead.  Much of the toxicological information used to develop predictions of short and long-term physiological effects of this event come from eco-toxicology research using “classic” test organisms that are potentially unrepresentative of the economically important finfish species of the GOM.  The aim of this research is to determine physiological impacts of oil and dispersant exposure on early life stages of species representative of economically valuable GOM finfish.  In order to determine effects of the DWH spill across multiple species from a broad range of life histories/trophic levels/geographic ranges, commercially exploited finfish species were chosen from the following habitat-usage groups: open ocean/pelagic, benthic/demersal and coastal/semi-pelagic.  Utilizing aquaculture techniques as a means to obtain suitable quantities of test material/organisms from each species, experiments will be performed to determine effects of DWH oil and dispersants on fertilization success, acute embryonic mortality, cardiac development, and aerobic scope.  Proposed methods, test species, and preliminary results will be presented. 

 

 

John Stieglitz              

Entered MBF PhD Program: Summer 2010

Advisors: Dr. Daniel Benetti and Dr. Martin Grosell