Effects of short-duration oil exposure on bay anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli) embryos and larvae: mortality, malformation, and foraging.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill highlighted the need to understand the effects of oil exposure on marine eggs and larvae. To determine how short-duration exposure impacts the survivability of early life stages of the bay anchovy, Anchoa mitchilli, embryos and larvae ≤ 3-days-post-hatch (dph) were exposed to high-energy water accommodated fractions of weathered crude oil for 2 or 6 h. Lethal and sublethal effects of short-duration oil exposure were observed, including crippling malformations and altered optimal swimming and foraging behavior of larvae without malformation.

Experimental study of clay-hydrocarbon interactions relevant to the biodegradation of the Deepwater Horizon oil from the Gulf of Mexico.

Adding clay to marine oil pollution represents a promising approach to enhance bacterial hydrocarbon degradation in nutrient poor waters. In this study, three types of regionally available clays (Ca-bentonite, Fuller's Earth and kaolin) were tested to stimulate the biodegradation of source and weathered oil collected from the Deepwater Horizon spill. The weathered oil showed little biodegradation prior to experimentation and was extensively degraded by bacteria in the laboratory in a similar way as the alkane-rich source oil.

Assessment of the toxic potential of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) affecting Gulf menhaden (Brevoortia patronus) harvested from waters impacted by the BP Deepwater Horizon Spill.

Approximately 4.9 million barrels of crude oil and gas were released into the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) from April to July 2010 during the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) spill. This resulted in the possible contamination of marine organisms with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), USEPA identified constituents of concern.

Chemical and histological comparisons between Brevoortia sp. (menhaden) collected in fall 2010 from Barataria Bay, LA and Delaware Bay, NJ following the DeepWater Horizon (DWH) oil spill.

Body burdens of PAHs were compared to histological effects in menhaden (Family: Clupeidae, Genus: Brevoortia) collected in fall 2010 from Barataria Bay, LA (BBLA) and Delaware Bay, NJ (DBNJ). Barataria Bay was heavily oiled during the DeepWater Horizon (DWH) oil spill, while Delaware Bay although urbanized had no reported recent oil spills. GCMS analyses of pre-spill 2009, BBLA and DBNJ fish found predominantly C2/C3 phenanthrene (1.

Particulate accumulations in the vital organs of wild Brevoortia patronus from the northern Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Histopathologic lesions were observed in the commercially important filter-feeding fish, Brevoortia patronus (Gulf menhaden), along the Louisiana Gulf Coast. Menhaden collected from Louisiana waters in 2011 and 2012, 1 and 2 years following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, showed varying severities of gill lesions as well as an unusual accumulation of black particulates visible at necropsy in the heart and stomach vasculature. The PAH derived particulates were typically 1-4 µm in diameter, but larger aggregates were observed in the coronary vessels on the ventricle surfaces and their location and size was confirmed by light microscopy.

Adaptation of Sonication-Assisted Matrix Solid Phase Dispersion of Tissues for the Subsequent Extraction of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons from Gulf Menhaden (Brevoortia patronus).

A new adaptation based on matrix solid phase dispersion of tissue for the subsequent isolation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was developed and used for extractions of Gulf menhaden caught during the summer of 2011. Many Matrix Solid Phase Dispersion (MSPD) methods require specific cartridges and other clean-up materials in order to achieve proper extraction. For this study, the tissues were lyophilized prior to applying the adapted MSPD method allowing for a much more complete homogenization with the C18 silica.

Bioremediating oil spills in nutrient poor ocean waters using fertilized clay mineral flakes: some experimental constraints.

Much oil spill research has focused on fertilizing hydrocarbon oxidising bacteria, but a primary limitation is the rapid dilution of additives in open waters. A new technique is presented for bioremediation by adding nutrient amendments to the oil spill using thin filmed minerals comprised largely of Fullers Earth clay. Together with adsorbed N and P fertilizers, filming additives, and organoclay, clay flakes can be engineered to float on seawater, attach to the oil, and slowly release contained nutrients.

Biochemical properties of alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) bone collagen.

Acid-soluble collagen (ASC) and pepsin solubilized collagen (PSC) isolated and purified from alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) bone were studied for molecular size, amino acid profile, secondary structure, and denaturation temperature by SDS-PAGE, HPLC, circular dichroism, and viscometry. Two collagen subunits, alpha1 and alpha2 were identified by SDS-PAGE. The molecular masses for alpha1 and alpha2 chains of ASC were 124 kDa and 111 kDa, respectively.

Aspects of petrochemical pollution in southeastern Louisiana (USA): pre-Katrina background and source characterization.

Background petroleum pollution before Hurricane Katrina in southeastern Louisiana (USA) coastal sediments was evaluated at 320 locations in three consecutive years for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), saturated alkanes (nC9-nC35), and petroleum biomarker compounds (hopanes, steranes, pristane, and phytane). Approximately 90% of the sample locations had a total PAH concentration of less than 2.0 microg/g and total saturated alkane concentration of less than 17 microg/g, with 50% indicating a total PAH concentration of less than 200 ng/g.

Biochemical properties of black drum and sheepshead seabream skin collagen.

Acid-soluble collagen (ASC) and pepsin solubilized collagen (PSC) were isolated from the skins of black drum (Pogonias cromis) and sheepshead seabream (Archosargus probatocephalus) harvested in the Gulf of Mexico coastal waters. The yields of ASCs on dry basis from black drum and sheepshead were estimated at 2.3 and 2.