title: The effects of oil spills on marine fish: Implications of spatial variation in natural mortality.
abstract: The effects of oil spills on marine biological systems are of great concern, especially in regions with high biological production of harvested resources such as in the Northeastern Atlantic. The scientific studies of the impact of oil spills on fish stocks tend to ignore that spatial patterns of natural mortality may influence the magnitude of the impact over time. Here, we first illustrate how spatial variation in natural mortality may affect the population impact by considering a thought experiment. Second, we consider an empirically based example of Northeast Arctic cod to extend the concept to a realistic setting. Finally, we present a scenario-based investigation of how the degree of spatial variation in natural mortality affects the impact over a gradient of oil spill sizes. Including the effects of spatial variations in natural mortality tends to widen the impact distribution, hence increasing the probability of both high and low impact events.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066, Blindern, N-0316 Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: oysteol@ibv.uio.no.
authors.forename: Ø
authors.initials: Ø
authors.lastname: Langangen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Research, PO Box 1870, Nordnes, N-5817 Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.affiliation: Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066, Blindern, N-0316 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Stige
authors.affiliation: Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066, Blindern, N-0316 Oslo, Norway; School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ohlberger
authors.affiliation: Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography, 6 Knipovich St., Murmansk 183038, Russia.
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Yaragina
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Research, PO Box 1870, Nordnes, N-5817 Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: F B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Vikebø
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Research, PO Box 1870, Nordnes, N-5817 Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bogstad
authors.affiliation: Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066, Blindern, N-0316 Oslo, Norway; Institute of Marine Research, Flødevigen, Nye Flødevigveien 20, 4817 His, Norway; Centre for Coastal Research (CCR), Department of Natural Sciences, University of Agder, PO Box 422, N-4604 Kristiansand, Norway.
authors.forename: N C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Stenseth
authors.affiliation: Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066, Blindern, N-0316 Oslo, Norway; Norwegian Institute for Water Research, Gaustadalléen 21, N-0349 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: D Ø
authors.initials: DØ
authors.lastname: Hjermann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005399:Fishes; D059392:Petroleum Pollution; D011157:Population Dynamics; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Barents Sea; Eggs; Larvae; Natural mortality; Northeast Arctic cod; Oil spill