As the 2014 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill & Ecosystem Science Conference continued on Monday in Mobile, Ala., some scientists discussed the potential impacts of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill on Gulf fisheries, often describing the fishery as better off than many think but always adding that there still remains much ongoing research.
Steve Murawski, with the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg, Fla., discussed how, in addition to adult, juvenile and larvae fish mortalities from the spill, scientists often ask him about impacts to reproduction and growth of fish species, and whether certain species might have been affected more than others.
“The incidences of direct moralities on fish populations other than oysters are probably pretty low,” said Murawski, explaining how oysters, which can’t move to escape the oil, were greatly affected by freshwater river diversions following the spill.
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