Podcast highlights research on Gulf oil, risks to fish
How does oil affect fishes in the Gulf of Mexico? Mote Marine Laboratory scientists and colleagues are working to solve this complex puzzle through studies initiated in the wake of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill.
Their ongoing research is featured in the latest episode of The Loop, a podcast series by the Center for Integrated Modeling and Analysis of Gulf Ecosystems (C-IMAGE) and Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI).
Researchers from Mote, the University of South Florida – College of Marine Science, and Harte Research Institute are mixing BP oil through three different exposure scenarios to measure the risks that oil might pose for fish health. The fish they study – Florida pompano, southern flounder and red drum – each represent a different lifestyle for Gulf fishes: open ocean, bottom dwelling and a mix of both. The studies aim to determine what happens to fish in the wild, days and weeks after an oil spill.
In large, above-ground tanks at Mote Aquaculture Research Park, fish get a dosage regime of oil through the food they eat, the waters in which they swim or the seafloor sediments on which they live. After designated periods, fish are dissected and analyzed by research labs around the Gulf. Muscle, liver, bile, scale swabs and heart samples allow researchers to study the physiological, genetic and microbial communities following oil exposure.
“If we’re impairing [fish] adults, maybe we’re impairing them for one season, maybe we’re impairing them for life. We don’t know this,” said Dr. Dana Wetzel, a Mote Senior Scientist leading the research. Wetzel’s goal is to understand a fish’s reaction to oil and the significance it has for the wild population. Then she wants to provide this information to spill response teams to help limit the damage.
Media contacts for this story:
- C-IMAGE: Benjamin Prueitt, 727-553-3364, benjamin2@mail.usf.edu
- Mote: Hayley Rutger. 941-374-0081, hrutger@mote.org