Publication Abstract

The impact of the Sea Empress oil spill on fish and shellfish

The impact of the Sea Empress oil spill on fish and shellfish

R. J. Law, J.E. Thain, M.F. Kirby, Y.T. Allen, B.P. Lyons, C.A. Kelly, S. Haworth, E.A. Dyrynda, P.E.J. Dyrynda, J.S. Harvey, S. Page, M.D. Nicholson and D.R.P. Leonard

The tanker Sea Empress grounded at the entrance to Milford Haven in February 1996, causing a major oil spill. Following initial investigations which showed some contamination of fish and shellfish, a fishing exclusion zone was established under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 to protect consumers of fish and shellfish, and monitoring was instigated in order to establish the degree and spread of contamination. A wide range of further studies were also begun under the auspices of the Sea Empress Environmental Evaluation Committee (SEEEC) aimed at assessing the overall impact of the spill. In this paper we report on the establishment and subsequent lifting of fishing restrictions, the results of the fish and shellfish monitoring programme, and of a range of biological effects techniques (the determination of EROD and DNA-adduct levels in fish, scope for growth and immune function in mussels, whole-sediment bioassays) deployed as components of the wider studies associated with the oil spill.

Reference:

R. J. Law, J.E. Thain, M.F. Kirby, Y.T. Allen, B.P. Lyons, C.A. Kelly, S. Haworth, E.A. Dyrynda, P.E.J. Dyrynda, J.S. Harvey, S. Page, M.D. Nicholson and D.R.P. Leonard, 1998. The impact of the Sea Empress oil spill on fish and shellfish. pp109-136. In: The Sea Empress Oil Spill: Proceedings of the International Conference held in Cardiff, 11-13 February 1998. R. Edwards and H. Sime.(eds.) Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management, London.

R. J. Law*, J.E. Thain*, M.F. Kirby*, Y.T. Allen*, B.P. Lyons*, C.A. Kelly*, S. Haworth, E.A. Dyrynda, P.E.J. Dyrynda, J.S. Harvey, S. Page, M.D. Nicholson* and D.R.P. Leonard

pp109-136. In: The Sea Empress Oil Spill: Proceedings of the International Conference held in Cardiff, 11-13 February 1998. R. Edwards and H. Sime.(eds.) Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management, London.