Progress report summarizing the reef fish sampling, PCB - Earthjustice

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Fish sampling began on December 14, 2006, about seven months after the ex- Oriskany (CVA-34) was placed in the EELAARS site as an artificial reef on May 17, 2006. Diver visual observations down to the depth of the flight deck (135 ft.) during the summer and early fall of 2006 after the Oriskany Reef was created indicated that recreationally targeted reef fish like red snapper and vermilion snapper were present at the reef but many were visually estimated to be of sublegal size (Horn and Mille 2006). I (D) (3) Commercial Chevron Trap Use To ensure that at least 30 legal size recreationally targeted reef fish species for analysis during each sampling round as the reef community was developing on the Oriskany Reef during the first year, for the first two sampling rounds, vessels capable of deploying and retrieving commercial chevron fish traps were utilized (Figure 4). FWC and ECMRD determined the most efficient and effective collection of reef fish during the first sampling round would be accomplished by using commercial chevron-shaped coated wire mesh fish traps and multi-hook vertical fishing gear (“bandit rigs”) deployed aboard a commercial fishing vessel, Margie Ann. The intent was to fully transition to the conventional hand held rod-and-reel gear normally utilized by recreational fishers after sufficient numbers of legal size reef fish became available on the Oriskany Reef for hand held rod-and-reel hook-and-line harvest. The second sampling effort (April 2007) was to represent a transitional sampling effort where both rod and reel and chevron traps were used. From the third sampling round forward, only hand held rod-and-reels fished by FWC personnel, Escambia County staff and volunteers were also utilized to collect fish via hook and line from the Oriskany Reef for PCB analysis. FWC had custom built and rigged four commercial chevron fish traps specifically for Oriskany Reef monitoring using design specification provided by Florida State University marine ecologist Dr. Chris Koenig (Koenig, personal communication). An individual chevron trap measures 60 inches wide and 73 inches diagonal length measured from the corner of its greatest width to the top hip. The trap is 50 inches 26 | P age Figure 4. Recovery of commercial chevron fish trap with red snapper catch aboard the F/V Margie Ann. Photo by Kyle Miller.
long from the top to the mouth of the funnel. The funnel through which the fish access the trap is 15 inches wide. The trap, resting on the bottom, is 24 inches high. The trap “skin”, attached to a steel welded rebar frame is green plastic coated steel mesh with the mesh rectangles measuring 1.875 inches by 2.0 inches. The wire mesh making up the entrance funnel is a lighter gauge more flexible plastic coasted chicken wire. The trap has two access doors, one on the top and one on the side. The side door (15.9 inches across, 11.9 inches high, and 19.7 inches along the diagonal) is attached to the trap frame with degradable twine and is rigged to fall open when the twine deteriorates to facilitate fish release in the event the trap is lost and cannot be immediately recovered. The nose door of the trap is secured with plastic clips attached to bungee cords. Fish are removed through the nose door upon recovery of the trap and release of the clips. The nose door dimensions are 13.9 inches across, 9.8 inches high, and 17.1 inches along the diagonal. The doors, not accessible to fish, are used to place bait in the trap and remove trapped fish. Each trap was weighted with two metal bars about four feet long tied into the trap. One bar was tied in across the width of the trap top and one solid .75inch diameter four feet long heavier bar was tied across the width of the trap bottom. Tying these bars in with .375 inch diameter polypropylene line, with the heavier bar on the trap bottom ensures the trap lands on the proper upright orientation on the sea floor. All traps had affixed to them identification tags, identifying the name of the research project, agency name, address, phone number and point of contact. Attached to a polypropylene loop on each trap was 400 feet of black .375 inch diameter polypropylene line. The line was attached to a swivel whose ring base was slipped onto a metal carabineer that was in turn clipped into the polypropylene loop tied into the trap. At the terminal end of the trap line was an international orange inflatable plastic buoy approximately 18 inches in diameter. Trailing from the buoy was another 15 feet of poly line at the end of which was a white Styrofoam crab trap buoy. This six inch diameter buoy kept the 15 feet of line between it and the larger float up near the surface allowing the easier recovery of the floating end of the line with a boat hook when recovering the buoy line in preparation for trap retrieval. Each large 24 inch diameter orange trap buoy had “FWC Research” written on it in black indelible ink as well as a single number (one, two, three, or four) designating the trap that the trap the buoy was marking. Reflective tape was also added to the buoy in the event night trap location recovery was required. Round #1 For the first sampling round the commercial fishing vessel the Margie Ann’s was contracted because the crew who were professional commercial fishermen had prior first-hand experience utilizing fish traps when they were still legal to use. 27 | Page
Page 1 and 2: Progress report summarizing the ree
Page 3 and 4: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In compliance wit
Page 5 and 6: LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page No. 1.
Page 7 and 8: I (A) (1) EPA Oriskany Reef PCB Tie
Page 9 and 10: validate the Navy developed PCB fat
Page 11 and 12: that “the numbering standard for
Page 13 and 14: ship material leachate experiments
Page 15 and 16: solid PCB containing materials woul
Page 17 and 18: EPA review included: 1) a human hea
Page 19 and 20: I(C)(6) PCB Containing Materials On
Page 21 and 22: I(C) (8) Oriskany Reef Created In a
Page 23 and 24: fishes for the Monitoring Work Plan
Page 25: I (D) (2) Fishing Vessel Sampling P
Page 29 and 30: During sample round #2 all four che
Page 31 and 32: The rod and reel manpower sampling
Page 33 and 34: was intentionally scheduled after t
Page 35 and 36: weren’t running after each fish w
Page 37 and 38: actually shipped to GERG on Februar
Page 39 and 40: samples during Sampling Rounds 1-8
Page 41 and 42: harvesting at least 15 legal size r
Page 43 and 44: attraction as expressed by an incre
Page 45 and 46: Of these 10 reef assessment dives,
Page 47 and 48: assessments which were limited to t
Page 49 and 50: not considered target species for a
Page 51 and 52: have had any PAH levels approaching
Page 53 and 54: Oriskany, and one recapture at a
Page 55 and 56: ed snapper season commencement. The
Page 57 and 58: Table 8a. List of reef fish species
Page 59 and 60: Oriskany Reef during Sampling Round
Page 61 and 62: Species Composition of Oriskany Sam
Page 63 and 64: The GERG lab reported their receipt
Page 65 and 66: pectoral fins of the blackfin snapp
Page 67 and 68: Trophic level or position Trophic p
Page 69 and 70: that means after five years only 3%
Page 71 and 72: II (D) (1) (c) Red Snapper Discussi
Page 73 and 74: 1,000,000 ΣPCB (pg/g) a. Sample Da
Page 75 and 76: The PCB levels measured from red sn
Page 77 and 78:
fins relatively short, not reaching
Page 79 and 80:
Results of PCB analysis by sample d
Page 81 and 82:
ody, these spots giving a yellow-st
Page 83 and 84:
II (D) (3) (c) Red Porgy Discussion
Page 85 and 86:
cheeks that are speckled with brigh
Page 87 and 88:
II (D) (4) (c) Whitebone Porgy Disc
Page 89 and 90:
(common) name. The first spine is l
Page 91 and 92:
II (D) (5) (c) Gray Triggerfish Dis
Page 93 and 94:
The Scamp inhabits continental shel
Page 95 and 96:
Results of PCB analysis by sample d
Page 97 and 98:
species was not among the first 30
Page 99 and 100:
elieved to be unlikely since most o
Page 101 and 102:
trip less than 15% of the time due
Page 103 and 104:
II F (6) (b) Current Florida Marine
Page 105 and 106:
assessment, technological feasibili
Page 107 and 108:
III Oriskany Reef Monitoring Projec
Page 109 and 110:
Fishbase.org (Internet site). 2011.
Page 111 and 112:
Ingram, G.W., Jr. and W.F. Patterso
Page 113 and 114:
Patterson, W. F., J. H. Cowan Jr, e
Page 115 and 116:
Thompson, M.J., W.W. Schroeder, and
Page 117 and 118:
Table 2. FWC Fish Census data taken
Page 119 and 120:
Table 4. Fish census data taken by
Page 121 and 122:
frogfish Antennarius sp.
Page 123 and 124:
eef butterflyfish Chaetodon sedenta
Page 125 and 126:
Vermilion snapper Rhomboplites auro
Page 127 and 128:
OR-RS-042 Red Snapper 4/12/2007 HnL
Page 129 and 130:
OR-RS-155 Red Snapper 11/18/2009 Hn
Page 131 and 132:
Table 14. Tissue sample characteris
Page 133 and 134:
Table 15. Percent composition of to
Page 135 and 136:
Table 16b. Percent composition of t
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Progress report summarizing the reef fish sampling, PCB - Earthjustice

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