Compass Port Baseline Marine Surveys: Northern Gulf of Mexico (Alabama) Ichthyoplankton (2004-2006)

Metadata:

• Identification_Information
• Data_Quality_Information
• Entity_and_Attribute_Information
• Distribution_Information
• Metadata_Reference_Information

Identification_Information:

Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator:

Dr. Frank Hernandez, Jr.

Publication_Date:

Unpublished material

Title:

Compass Port Baseline Marine Surveys: Northern Gulf of Mexico (Alabama) Ichthyoplankton (2004-2006)

Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form:

database

Description:

Abstract:

In 2004 Compass Port LLC (Compass Port) and the Dauphin Island Sea lab (DISL) developed a research plan to assess the possible biological impacts of the proposed Compass Port liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in lease block MO910, approximately 18 km south of Dauphin Island. This plan was developed in consultation with NOAA. As part of the overall baseline survey, depth-discrete ichthyoplankton samples were collected between 2004-2006 to assess the abundance, diversity and temporal and spatial distribution of fish larvae and eggs at the proposed Compass Port site. The shallow coastal northern U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GOM) represents one of the most biologically and physically dynamic systems in North America. Because biological variance in ichthyoplankton is largely driven by the physical environment, the key to conducting near-term baseline surveys and long-term biological monitoring is to capture all relevant signals and biological variance from less than 1 day to greater than 1 year.

Purpose:

The study outlined below has been designed to provide baseline information for the project area and to address the following study objectives: 1. Characterize benthic habitat structure and utilization; 2. Develop a biological baseline of abundance and distribution covering benthic, planktonic, and nektonic vertebrates and invertebrates; Mammals; Birds; and Turtles; 3. Quantify egg/larval vertical distributions and patchiness of commercially important fishery species over time-scales from less than one day to greater than one year as they relate to stratification and de-stratification in the water column; and 4. Use this baseline of information to develop an operational biological monitoring program to ascertain whether predicted impacts actually occur.

Supplemental_Information:

This metadata record describes only the ichthyoplankton component of the larger work.

Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Range_of_Dates/Times:

Beginning_Date:

2004

Ending_Date:

2006

Currentness_Reference:

ground condition

Status:

Progress:

Complete

Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency:

As needed

Spatial_Domain:

Description_of_Geographic_Extent:

This project is focused in the shallow coastal northern U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

Bounding_Coordinates:

West_Bounding_Coordinate:

-88.23080344290

East_Bounding_Coordinate:

-88.18070062220

North_Bounding_Coordinate:

30.10944562200

South_Bounding_Coordinate:

30.06588406170

Keywords:

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus:

None

Theme_Keyword:

ichthyoplankton

Theme_Keyword:

larval fish

Theme_Keyword:

fish larvae

Theme_Keyword:

fish eggs

Theme_Keyword:

early life history

Theme_Keyword:

zooplankton

Theme_Keyword:

depth-discrete

Theme_Keyword:

vertical distribution

Theme_Keyword:

BIONESS

Theme_Keyword:

LNG

Theme_Keyword:

liquid natural gas

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus:

ISO 19115 Topic Categories

Theme_Keyword:

environment

Theme_Keyword:

oceans

Theme_Keyword:

biota

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus:

None

Place_Keyword:

Gulf of Mexico

Place_Keyword:

Dauphin Island

Place_Keyword:

Alabama

Place_Keyword:

Mobile Bay

Place_Keyword:

DISL

Place_Keyword:

Dauphin Island Sea Lab

Access_Constraints:

Permission to access these data must be given by Dr. Frank Hernandez of the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Laboratory.

Use_Constraints:

Acknowledgment of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL), Fisheries Oceanography of Coastal Alabama (FOCAL) program and Conoco Phillips is required in products developed from these data, and such acknowledgment as is standard for citation and legal practices for data source is expected by users of these data. Users should be aware that comparison with other data sets for the same area from other time periods may be inaccurate due to inconsistencies resulting from changes in mapping conventions, data collection, and computer processes over time. The distributor shall not be liable for improper or incorrect use of these data, based on the description of appropriate/inappropriate uses described in the metadata document. These data are not legal documents and are not to be used as such.

Point_of_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person:

Frank Hernandez, Jr.

Contact_Organization:

University of Southern Mississippi: Gulf Coast Research Laboratory

Contact_Position:

Principal Investigator

Contact_Address:

Address_Type:

mailing and physical

Address:

703 East Beach Drive

City:

Ocean Springs

State_or_Province:

MS

Postal_Code:

39564

Country:

USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone:

(228) 818-8800

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address:

frank.hernandez@usm.edu

Contact_Instructions:

Please email Dr. Frank Hernandez for further information.

Native_Data_Set_Environment:

Microsoft Access

Data_Quality_Information:

Logical_Consistency_Report:

not applicable

Completeness_Report:

Data was gathered from 200406 to 200610 with no major lapses between collections.

Lineage:

Process_Step:

Process_Description:

All plankton tows utilized a multiple opening and closing net system. For this project, we used a version of the BIONESS (Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Net Environmental Sampling System) system called a “Mininess.” These systems are real-time controlled and are comprised of a series of 9 serially opening-closing nets. Tows can be performed obliquely (diagonally) through the water or horizontally at selected depths with the nets closed at different depths to provide a series of stratified samples over the entire water column. A Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) unit attached to the frame of the Mininess allows real-time display of conductivity and temperature over depth of the water. These data were collected in conjunction with ichthyoplankton collection to determine water column physical structure. The ichthyoplankton nets are constructed of 202-micrometer (µm) Nitex plankton gauze with a nominal mouth opening of 0.25 m2 and a total filtration area of 5:1. Real-time displays from two flow meters (one inside and one outside the net mouth) allow assessment of filtration efficiency and clogging in real-time. Ichthyoplankton samples were collected on a monthly basis (25 events) utilizing a stratified Mininess tow. A total of 8 ichthyoplankton stations (replicates) were selected randomly each month, though they are stratified by quadrant (2 random plats per four quadrants). At each station, vertically stratified ichthyoplankton was sampled at depth intervals of approximately 3 m (i.e., six stratified layers plus two oblique integrated samples) using 202 µm mesh nets for the first oblique and stratified layers and a 333 µm mesh net for the subsequent oblique net. The 202 µm mesh was used to minimize extrusion of smaller fish eggs commonly lost in traditional SEAMAP sampling that uses 333 µm mesh nets, and the 333 µm mesh is use as a comparison of SEAMAP sampling. Diel variations of ichthyoplankton were measured on a quarterly basis (8 events). For these diel studies one station near the proposed LNG facility site was sampled repeatedly at about six-hour intervals over a three-day period. Ichthyoplankton were sorted, counted and identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level by taxonomists at the Sea Fisheries Institute Plankton Sorting and Identification Center in Szczecin, Poland. A subset of the samples were similarly processed at DISL. All stratified samples have been processed; however, not all oblique samples were processed. These oblique samples are archived at DISL and will be processed at a later date if deemed necessary.

Process_Date:

200610

Entity_and_Attribute_Information:

Overview_Description:

Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:

Microsoft Access tables cataloging ichthyoplankton data for the shallow coastal northern U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:

Data sets contain the following information for each sample: number of fish larvae and eggs from an aliquot of the sample, number of fish larvae in >5mm the the entire sample, aliquot of the sample sorted for fish eggs and larvae, total fish larvae and egg density (#/m3), taxon, date collected, depth bin, wind speed, wind direction, sample settled volume, dry weight, fish eggs (#/m3), start time of tow, finish time of tow, opening depth, closing depth, distance towed, total swept volume (m3), water temperature, station ID, latitude, longitude

Distribution_Information:

Distributor:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person:

Frank Hernandez, Jr.

Contact_Organization:

University of Southern Mississippi: Gulf Coast Research Laboratory

Contact_Position:

Principal Investigator

Contact_Address:

Address_Type:

mailing and physical

Address:

703 East Beach Drive

City:

Ocean Springs

State_or_Province:

MS

Postal_Code:

39564

Country:

USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone:

(228) 818-8800

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address:

frank.hernandez@usm.edu

Contact_Instructions:

Please email Dr. Frank Hernandez for further information.

Distribution_Liability:

The Dauphin Island Sea Lab makes no warranty regarding these data, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. The DISL Plankton Sorting Lab cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data, nor as a result of the failure of these data to function on a particular system.

Metadata_Reference_Information:

Metadata_Date:

201101

Metadata_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization:

Dauphin Island Sea Lab

Contact_Position:

Data Management Specialist

Contact_Address:

Address_Type:

mailing and physical

Address:

101 Bienville Blvd.

City:

Dauphin Island

State_or_Province:

Al

Postal_Code:

36528

Country:

USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone:

251-861-2141

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address:

metadata@disl.org

Hours_of_Service:

8-5:00 CST

Contact_Instructions:

Please email the metadata specialist for further information.

Metadata_Standard_Name:

FGDC Biological Data Profile of the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata

Metadata_Standard_Version:

FGDC-STD-001-1998

Metadata_Access_Constraints:

none