Researchers conduct longline surveys, sampling red snapper and other fish, to monitor oil spill impacts. Photo credit: DISL
Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster, NGI funded researchers increased the frequency and expanded the coverage of monthly sampling programs across the northern Gulf of Mexico. Data collected by Dauphin Island Sea Lab scientists after the oil spill, is being compared to historical baseline data, allowing for the potential identification of changes in the structure of these critical populations.
Classroom Activity: Mark and Recapture
Mark and recapture is a sampling technique scientists use to estimate population size. A simplified version of the mark and recapture method used in fisheries research can be done as a classroom activity.
Monitoring Gulf Coast Fisheries – PDF 1.2MB