Monitoring of Hydrocarbons in Benthic Crustaceans during Offshore Drilling and Petroleum Exploration

As part of a broad, multldlsciplinary effort to monitor the impact of petroleum exploration activities on the outer continental shelf areas of the Gulf of Mexico, the local effects of a drilllng rig on the benthic environment have been investigated. Petroleum hydrocarbons in or on seawater can become associated with suspended sediment partlcles I and be transported downward and incorporated into the bottom. In addition, cuttings settle around drilling sites. These processes can result in an alteration of sedimentary organic carbon characteristics of the type which has been documented in the vicinity of a petroleum production platform in the Gulf of Mexico 2 and in accumulation of nonblogenic hydrocarbons in the benthic environment. Crustaceans in this environment can rapidly take up petroleum hydrocarbons from the water or their food 3 and can be adversely affected as summarized by Hyland and Schneider. 4 For these reasons, the hydrocarbon contents of penaeid and stomatopod shrimp were determined in conjunction with exploratory drilling operations as a measure of possible petroleum contamination of the benthos in this locality.