Patterns of Reef Fish Larval Supply to Petroleum Platforms in the Northern Gulf of Mexico
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 2001 Patterns of Reef Fish Larval Supply to Petroleum Platforms in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. James Marvin Tolan Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Tolan, James Marvin, "Patterns of Reef Fish Larval Supply to Petroleum Platforms in the Northern Gulf of Mexico." (2001). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 438. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/438 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6” x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. Bell & Howell Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. PATTERNS OF REEF-FISH LARVAL SUPPLY TO PETROLEUM PLATFORMS IN THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy tn The Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences by James M. Tolan B.S., With Honors, Corpus Christi State University, 1992 M.S., Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, 1994 December, 2001 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3042654 ___ __® UMI UMI Microform 3042654 Copyright 2002 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNO WLEDG EM ENTS I thank Dr. Charles Wilson, chairman of my dissertation committee, as well as the other member of the committee, Dr. James Geaghan, Dr. Lawrence Rouse, Dr. Allen Rutherford, and Dr. Richard Shaw, for their advice and assistance in the planning, execution, and completion of this study. There are a great number of people to whom I am deeply indebted, for without their help, this work could have never been seen through to completion. Mobil Oil Exploration Corporation, Exxon Corporation, and British Petroleum Corporation provided major financial support, in addition to transportation and housing facilities. Financial support was also provided by the U.S. Department o f Interior, Minerals Management Service, along with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Artificial Reef Program. I would like to thank the Production crews at each platform, as well as the numerous support staff, for making every stay extremely memorable. Numerous co-workers assisted in field collections, occasionally in less than ideal conditions. I am indebted to the tireless efforts of A. Cemey, J. Chaky, J. Ditty, M. Miller, D Nieland, J Nunn, D. Stanley, and the entire staffs of the Coastal Studies Institute and the Coastal Fisheries Institute at Louisiana State University. Finally, the most special thanks are reserved for my gracious and lovely wife Terri, for her constant companionship and much-needed support throughout this very long road of completion for this degree. Without you, with your moral as well as financial support through these many years, I could have never reached these lofty goals that we have set together. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...................................................................................................ii LIST OF TABLES................................................................................................................. v LIST OF FIGURES............................................................................................................ viii ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................ xiv INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................1 CHAPTER 1: REEF FISH ICHTHYOPLANKTON SUPPLY TO OIL AND GAS “ARTIFICIAL REEF’ PLATFORMS.....................................5 Introduction ...................................................................................................................5 Methods and Materials ................................................................................................ 8 Statistical Analysis .................................................................................................16 Results......................................................................................................................... 20 Catch Composition ............................................................................................... 22 Relationships among Surface Ichthyoplankton and Environmental Variables......................................................................................................... 27 1994 and 1995 - Two Factor ANOVA Model ..................................................31 1996 and 1997 - Nested ANOVA M odel ..........................................................44 Light Aggregation Devices ..................................................................................64 Discussion ....................................................................................................................77 CHAPTER 2: REMOTE SENSING INVESTIGATIONS OF REEF FISH ICHTHYOPLANKTON SUPPLY ON THE CONTINENTAL SHELF: OBSERVATIONS ON POSSIBLE SOURCE LOCATIONS.........................................................88 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 88 Methods and Materials .............................................................................................. 95 Statistical Analysis ...............................................................................................101 Results........................................................................................................................102 Transit Time Calculations ...................................................................................102 Spatial Resolution o f Possible Supply Areas .....................................................105 Discussion ..................................................................................................................120 CHAPTER 3: COMPARISONS OF REEF DEPENDENT FISH COMMUNITIES ON “ARTIFICIAL REEF’ PLATFORMS TO RESIDENT POPULATIONS ON NATURAL REEF SITES..........................................................................125 Introduction ...............................................................................................................125 Methods and Materials ............................................................................................ 127 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Statistical Analysis ...............................................................................................130 Results........................................................................................................................133 Discussion .................................................................................................................. 146 CONCLUSIONS................................................................................................................. 151 REFERENCES................................................................................................................... 154 APPENDICES.....................................................................................................................183