Event Title
Location
Parker-Reed, SSWAC
Start Date
1-5-2014 10:00 AM
End Date
1-5-2014 11:00 AM
Project Type
Poster
Description
Human activities have been increasingly impacting the Gulf of Mexico negatively. The Gulf of Mexico is a biological rich ecosystem, with coral reefs providing a unique habitat for a diverse array of fish and other marine wildlife, including turtles. However, the increasing use of nutrient rich fertilizers in the Mississippi River Valley have created a growing dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico: a large area where there is no available oxygen due to extreme eutrophication. Overfishing has also depleted the stocks of many fish in the Gulf, further depleting the ecological health of the area. However, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency has been creating Marine Protected Areas in order to allow these fish stocks to rebuild and restore the ecological integrity of the reefs. This study compares the critical coral and reef fish habitat and reef fish stressed areas in the Gulf of Mexico with the current Marine Protected Areas. The study also examines the spatial distribution of these essential habitats relative to the distribution of active oil drilling lease sites, as oil drilling and spills have been other sources of significant human impact on the area.
Faculty Sponsor
Manny Gimond
Sponsoring Department
Colby College. Environmental Studies Program
CLAS Field of Study
Interdisciplinary Studies
Event Website
http://www.colby.edu/clas
ID
471
Included in
Critical Reef Fish Habitats, Fishing Regulations, and Active Drilling Lease Sites in the Gulf of Mexico
Parker-Reed, SSWAC
Human activities have been increasingly impacting the Gulf of Mexico negatively. The Gulf of Mexico is a biological rich ecosystem, with coral reefs providing a unique habitat for a diverse array of fish and other marine wildlife, including turtles. However, the increasing use of nutrient rich fertilizers in the Mississippi River Valley have created a growing dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico: a large area where there is no available oxygen due to extreme eutrophication. Overfishing has also depleted the stocks of many fish in the Gulf, further depleting the ecological health of the area. However, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency has been creating Marine Protected Areas in order to allow these fish stocks to rebuild and restore the ecological integrity of the reefs. This study compares the critical coral and reef fish habitat and reef fish stressed areas in the Gulf of Mexico with the current Marine Protected Areas. The study also examines the spatial distribution of these essential habitats relative to the distribution of active oil drilling lease sites, as oil drilling and spills have been other sources of significant human impact on the area.
https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/clas/2014/program/313