Project Page

The Environmental Effects of an Oil Spill on Blue Crabs in the Gulf of Mexico and the Dynamics of Recovery: Integrating Oceanography and Molecular Ecology

Implementing Organization

University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Overview

DWH Project Funding

$1,355,820

Known Leveraged Funding

$0

Funding Organization

Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI)

Funding Program

Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative GoMRI Grant Program

Details

Project Category

Science

Project Actions

Environmental Research

Targeted Resources

Human and/or Institutional Capacity

Project Description

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010 occurred during the critical spawning season of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, a commercially and ecologically important species in the Gulf of Mexico. The eggs of the blue crab hatch into small planktonic larvae that spend weeks feeding in offshore waters. When they complete their larval phase, they move into shallower waters, settle to the bottom, and begin developing into juvenile crabs. Laboratory studies have shown that gulf oil and the dispersant used to accelerate the breakdown of the oil are highly toxic to blue crab larvae.

Contact

Joseph Neigel
337-482-5661
jneigel@louisiana.edu
Project Website
Project Partners

None

Affiliated Institutions

None

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