414
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
S. A. Murawski et al. (eds.), Deep Oil Spills,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11605-7_25
Chapter 25
Impacts of Deep Oil Spills on Fish
and Fisheries
Adolfo Gracia, Steven A. Murawski, and Ana Rosa Vázquez-Bader
Abstract The Gulf of Mexico (GoM) total fishery production varies around one
million metric tons per year. Fishery production is based on a diverse set of invertebrate and finfish species, including estuarine, continental shelf, and open-ocean species. The GoM has been subjected to two large oil spills in the Southern (Ixtoc 1,
1979–1980) and in the Northern GoM (Deepwater Horizon 2010) that caused serious concern about impacts on the abundance and seafood safety of fishery resources.
Scientific evidence does not indicate a collapse or a clear impact on long- term fishery productivity related to either the Ixtoc 1 or DWH oil spills. Fishery landings in
the Northern GoM returned quickly to pre-spill levels, and short-term declines
could be attributed to the extensive fishery closure in the US exclusive economic
zone. In the Southern GoM, fishery production post-Ixtoc 1 decreased dramatically
over time attributed primarily to overharvesting of the main target species. Although
no oil spill impact on the fishery resources was apparent at the population level,
there is considerable evidence of impacts at the organismal and sub-individual levels, and there is concern how these effects could impact fishery resources in the long
term. The responses of fish and shellfish populations are analyzed in relation to
reproductive strategies, distribution of nursery grounds and critical habitats, exploitation status, oil spill distribution, and overall pollution levels. Fish and shellfish populations show a high capacity to withstand/recover from natural and
anthropogenic impacts by taking advantage of favorable environmental conditions
and by evolving life history strategies robust to seasonal and interannual variability.
Stock resiliency is affected by several factors but mainly overharvesting that may
reduce reproductive potential and compromise fishery resource resiliency in the
eventual case of another large-scale oil spill disaster.
A. Gracia (*) · A. R. Vázquez-Bader
Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología Universidad Nacional Autonóma de México,
Ciudad de México, Mexico
e-mail: gracia@unam.mx; ana-rosav@hotmail.com
S. A. Murawski
University of South Florida, College of Marine Science, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
e-mail: smurawski@usf.edu
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
S. A. Murawski et al. (eds.), Deep Oil Spills,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11605-7_25
Chapter 25
Impacts of Deep Oil Spills on Fish
and Fisheries
Adolfo Gracia, Steven A. Murawski, and Ana Rosa Vázquez-Bader
Abstract The Gulf of Mexico (GoM) total fishery production varies around one
million metric tons per year. Fishery production is based on a diverse set of invertebrate and finfish species, including estuarine, continental shelf, and open-ocean species. The GoM has been subjected to two large oil spills in the Southern (Ixtoc 1,
1979–1980) and in the Northern GoM (Deepwater Horizon 2010) that caused serious concern about impacts on the abundance and seafood safety of fishery resources.
Scientific evidence does not indicate a collapse or a clear impact on long- term fishery productivity related to either the Ixtoc 1 or DWH oil spills. Fishery landings in
the Northern GoM returned quickly to pre-spill levels, and short-term declines
could be attributed to the extensive fishery closure in the US exclusive economic
zone. In the Southern GoM, fishery production post-Ixtoc 1 decreased dramatically
over time attributed primarily to overharvesting of the main target species. Although
no oil spill impact on the fishery resources was apparent at the population level,
there is considerable evidence of impacts at the organismal and sub-individual levels, and there is concern how these effects could impact fishery resources in the long
term. The responses of fish and shellfish populations are analyzed in relation to
reproductive strategies, distribution of nursery grounds and critical habitats, exploitation status, oil spill distribution, and overall pollution levels. Fish and shellfish populations show a high capacity to withstand/recover from natural and
anthropogenic impacts by taking advantage of favorable environmental conditions
and by evolving life history strategies robust to seasonal and interannual variability.
Stock resiliency is affected by several factors but mainly overharvesting that may
reduce reproductive potential and compromise fishery resource resiliency in the
eventual case of another large-scale oil spill disaster.
A. Gracia (*) · A. R. Vázquez-Bader
Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología Universidad Nacional Autonóma de México,
Ciudad de México, Mexico
e-mail: gracia@unam.mx; ana-rosav@hotmail.com
S. A. Murawski
University of South Florida, College of Marine Science, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
e-mail: smurawski@usf.edu