Investigating Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Impacts on Foraging and Growth of Larval Atlantic Bumper

Resolving Deepwater Horizon oil spill impacts on fisheries from natural environmental variation remains a major challenge for marine ecologists and oceanographers. In addition to the potential toxic effects of the released hydrocarbons on fishes, the oil spill fueled localized blooms of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria that channeled oil carbon into the lower food web.  Changes in coastal zooplankton communities, in turn, may have profound positive or negative implications for foraging success and growth of the larval fishes present in the water column during the event.  In this study, we seek to resolve the indirect, sublethal effects of the oil spill on larval fish as mediated by changes in their zooplankton prey.  We use historical collections of zooplankton and larval Atlantic Bumper (Chloroscombrus chrysurus) to compare Atlantic Bumper feeding success, diet composition, prey electivities, and growth (from sagittal otoliths) during May–August in years before (2007–2009), during (2010), and after (2011–2012) the oil spill.  Our results will provide valuable insights into the relative importance of the oil spill event versus natural environmental variation for driving larval fish performance, as well as resilience of the coastal plankton food web to oil spills.