The Gulf of Mexico is home to the most productive natural oyster fishery in the world. Approximately 50% of the annual U.S. oyster harvest comes from Louisiana alone. There are many interacting drivers that affect the status of oyster populations and fisheries (e.g., fishing pressure, oyster health, and management regulations). An environmental disaster such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill can impact any or all of these drivers in various ways. For example, fishery closures following the spill could have diverted fishing pressure to other areas. Some management strategies aimed to protect coastal habitats and resources had unintended negative consequences. In an effort to push oil out of Louisiana’s estuarine areas, a large volume of freshwater was released. This action effectively reduced salinities below the tolerable range of oysters, resulting in a large mortality event. Additionally, consumer demand for Gulf seafood decreased in the aftermath of the spill.
The goal of this project is to determine how oyster populations and fisheries were impacted following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill by evaluating the magnitude and interactions of various drivers. Understanding changes in ecological and socio-economic drivers of oyster fisheries following a disaster such as the oil spill will advance our understanding of the complexities of the Gulf oyster fishery, and will help inform future management strategies in the face of another disaster.
Data needs
This project will require data related to various ecological and socio-economic drivers on oyster populations and fisheries.
Ecological drivers of oyster populations include: environmental variables (e.g., salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen); prevalence and intensity of oyster predators (e.g., drills) and disease (e.g., dermo); population growth (e.g., recruitment); and other impacting events (e.g., hurricanes, harmful algal blooms). Gulf State agencies (e.g., Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, etc.) have monitoring programs to assess the status of oyster populations. Data resulting from these programs typically include oyster abundance or density and oyster recruitment. Oyster drill presence or abundance data may also be available. The Oyster Sentinel database contains disease prevalence and intensity data for oysters across the Gulf. Continuous long-term environmental data can be obtained from various monitoring programs (e.g., National Estuary Programs, National Estuarine Research Reserve System-wide Monitoring Programs, U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System, U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System).
Socio-economic drivers of oyster fisheries include: fishery regulations (e.g., season timing/length, sack limits); and fishing pressure (e.g., number of licenses/vessels, out-of-state permits, consumer demand, landings). Fishery regulations for each state or locality can be identified though relevant management agencies and fishery management plans. Data related to fishing pressure can be obtained from various State (e.g., Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, etc.) and Federal (e.g., National Marine Fisheries Service, etc.) agencies.
Analytical approaches
First, a conceptual model of all drivers and interactions will be developed by the group. This will aid in identification of necessary data related to each driver and help to define their interactions. Next, the group will mine, extract and format all available data. Exploratory analyses of each variable will help refine and prioritize statistical analyses. Appropriate statistical methods will be applied (e.g., multivariate approaches, time series analyses) to determine the magnitude and interaction of ecological and socio-economic drivers on oyster populations and fisheries. Structural equation modeling can then be used to partition direct and indirect effects of variables and quantify the relative importance of each on the fishery.
Impact of synthesis
The Gulf of Mexico oyster fisheries comprise a multi-million dollar industry that supports thousands of jobs. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill likely caused significant socio-economic harm to Gulf oyster fisheries, but confounding factors make it difficult to quantify impacts resulting from the oil spill. This project will elucidate which variables were affected by the spill and by what magnitude. Quantifying the impact of multiple drivers and their interactions will create new insight, enabling more effective management of natural resources following a large-scale disturbance. Information resulting from this project could be translated into a decision-support tool for resource managers and decision-makers to ensure the best adaptive resource management strategies are employed following a disaster.
Author: Brittany Blomberg Topics: oyster fisheries, oil spill, economics
Synthesis topic
The Gulf of Mexico is home to the most productive natural oyster fishery in the world. Approximately 50% of the annual U.S. oyster harvest comes from Louisiana alone. There are many interacting drivers that affect the status of oyster populations and fisheries (e.g., fishing pressure, oyster health, and management regulations). An environmental disaster such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill can impact any or all of these drivers in various ways. For example, fishery closures following the spill could have diverted fishing pressure to other areas. Some management strategies aimed to protect coastal habitats and resources had unintended negative consequences. In an effort to push oil out of Louisiana’s estuarine areas, a large volume of freshwater was released. This action effectively reduced salinities below the tolerable range of oysters, resulting in a large mortality event. Additionally, consumer demand for Gulf seafood decreased in the aftermath of the spill.
The goal of this project is to determine how oyster populations and fisheries were impacted following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill by evaluating the magnitude and interactions of various drivers. Understanding changes in ecological and socio-economic drivers of oyster fisheries following a disaster such as the oil spill will advance our understanding of the complexities of the Gulf oyster fishery, and will help inform future management strategies in the face of another disaster.
Data needs
This project will require data related to various ecological and socio-economic drivers on oyster populations and fisheries.
Ecological drivers of oyster populations include: environmental variables (e.g., salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen); prevalence and intensity of oyster predators (e.g., drills) and disease (e.g., dermo); population growth (e.g., recruitment); and other impacting events (e.g., hurricanes, harmful algal blooms). Gulf State agencies (e.g., Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, etc.) have monitoring programs to assess the status of oyster populations. Data resulting from these programs typically include oyster abundance or density and oyster recruitment. Oyster drill presence or abundance data may also be available. The Oyster Sentinel database contains disease prevalence and intensity data for oysters across the Gulf. Continuous long-term environmental data can be obtained from various monitoring programs (e.g., National Estuary Programs, National Estuarine Research Reserve System-wide Monitoring Programs, U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System, U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System).
Socio-economic drivers of oyster fisheries include: fishery regulations (e.g., season timing/length, sack limits); and fishing pressure (e.g., number of licenses/vessels, out-of-state permits, consumer demand, landings). Fishery regulations for each state or locality can be identified though relevant management agencies and fishery management plans. Data related to fishing pressure can be obtained from various State (e.g., Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, etc.) and Federal (e.g., National Marine Fisheries Service, etc.) agencies.
Analytical approaches
First, a conceptual model of all drivers and interactions will be developed by the group. This will aid in identification of necessary data related to each driver and help to define their interactions. Next, the group will mine, extract and format all available data. Exploratory analyses of each variable will help refine and prioritize statistical analyses. Appropriate statistical methods will be applied (e.g., multivariate approaches, time series analyses) to determine the magnitude and interaction of ecological and socio-economic drivers on oyster populations and fisheries. Structural equation modeling can then be used to partition direct and indirect effects of variables and quantify the relative importance of each on the fishery.
Impact of synthesis
The Gulf of Mexico oyster fisheries comprise a multi-million dollar industry that supports thousands of jobs. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill likely caused significant socio-economic harm to Gulf oyster fisheries, but confounding factors make it difficult to quantify impacts resulting from the oil spill. This project will elucidate which variables were affected by the spill and by what magnitude. Quantifying the impact of multiple drivers and their interactions will create new insight, enabling more effective management of natural resources following a large-scale disturbance. Information resulting from this project could be translated into a decision-support tool for resource managers and decision-makers to ensure the best adaptive resource management strategies are employed following a disaster.