Understanding the Environmental Effects of Offshore Hydrocarbon Development

Résumé du livre

Redfish species (Sebastes sp.) are typically found in deep water and are highly vulnerable to decompression damage when brought to the surface. When limited numbers of live specimens are required for experimental work, collection by SCUBA divers in the relatively shallow waters of the St. Lawrence Estuary was shown to be an efficient method that reduced the potential for damage to the fish. Custom made diver-carried cages contributed to limiting the fish's stress. In situ decompression was the preferred method for preventing internal damage due to the increased volume of the gas-bladder. Fish densities had to be relatively high for the divers to achieve a reasonable level of success during the 20 to 30 minutes of available bottom time on each dive. Four series of dives were done over a 25 month period. A total of 249 fish were collected, averaging seven to eight fish per dive. Methods to reduce mortality due to decompression and transport are discussed.