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Oxygen depletion and associated benthic mortalities in New York Bight, 1976
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1979
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Series: NOAA Professional Paper ; 11
[PDF-415.81 MB]
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Description:In July 1976, fishermen reported large numbers of dead surf clams and other bottom-dwelling organisms in an 8,600-square-kilometer area of the New Jersey continental shelf. The phenomenon continued through October of that year. During this period scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) expanded their routine surveys and monitoring in the region to determine the extent of the problem and assess the damage to the fisheries. Other researchers—from nearby States, universities, and private groups—joined in the study. They determined that the mortalities were caused by extremely low concentrations of dissolved oxygen and by hydrogen sulfide poisoning in some bottom waters. At the height of the event, dissolved oxygen values in the water were measured at 2 milliliters per liter and sometimes at zero, in an area lying 10 to 100 kilometers off the 150 kilometers of coast between Sandy Hook and Cape May.
Mortalities were greatest among surf clams, ocean quahogs, and other benthic animals. Scientists estimated that by October 1976 more than half of the surf clam population off the central New Jersey coast had died, and that a significant but smaller number of ocean quahogs and sea scallops also died. Lobster catches declined almost 50 percent during the period. As a result, in November the Federal Government declared the New Jersey coast a resource disaster area. Estimates of losses to commercial and recreational fishing industries, and related processing and service businesses, were as high as $550 million. Local fishermen were also concerned about the long-term impact of this event on their fisheries.
This Professional Paper documents what we learned about resource and economic losses caused by the decline in oxygen in these waters during the summer of 1976. It also analyzes coastal oceanographic processes and conditions that affected water quality during this period, especially departures from those conditions that normally occur. Furthermore, this paper considers the possible role that human activities near the affected region may have had in triggering the event. The effects of adverse environmental factors on marine organisms are described as observed in the field and studied in the laboratory. The volume brings together our knowledge of the physicochemical makeup and ecology of these coastal waters. Finally, the likelihood of future oxygen depletion events is discussed.
The research during that summer improved our knowledge of environmental changes in the region. The study indicates the importance of understanding and continuing research into coastal oceanographic processes if we are to manage our marine resources wisely in the future.
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Rights Information:CC0 Public Domain
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