Cumulative Ecological Significance of Oil and Gas Structures in the Gulf ofMexico: Information Search, Synthesis, and Ecological Modeling. Phase 1, Final Report

摘要

Bibliographic searches were made of eight databases for information and datadescribing the environmental characteristics and biota of the Gulf of Mexico. The environmental data yielded by the searches yielded much more useful information for modeling purposes, namely mapped coverages depicting environmental gradients. These coverages, along with the biological catch data contained in several extant biological databases are enabling the prepartion of Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) models for selected key species. A significant finding of Phase I is that petroleum platform habitat is but a small fraction of the total reef habitat found in the central and western Gulf. However, the total numbers of red snapper estimated to occupy petroleum platforms correspond favorably to the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council's estimate of the total red snapper stock. Possible implications are that the total stock may be much larger than previously thought, or that platforms may be far more important than their area would imply, or that one or both the stock estimates are in error.