Oregon Sea Grant

Fisheries and Seafood

Effects of Hypoxia on Ichthyoplankton and Micronekton Communities off the Oregon Coast

Lorenzo Ciannelli
College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences
Oregon State University
104 COAS Administration Bldg.
Corvallis, OR 97331
Phone: 541-737-3142
Fax: 541-737-2064
E-mail
On the Web:
OSU Fisheries Oceanography Lab
Co-PI: Richard Brodeur, NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center

This project, continuing a 2008-2010 grant, aims to understand how hypoxia affects fish in early life stages. Dr. Ciannelli's team is investigating the effect of coastal hypoxia on fish distribution, feeding, growth, and reaction behavior. The researchers are observing larvae and juveniles of common species in three fish communities: plankton, pelagic, and benthic. For each, the team is investigating patterns in vertical and horizontal distribution through the water, diet, feeding level and body condition, and escape response, in relation to oxygen concentration as well as such other environmental variables as depth, temperature, salinity, and sediment type.

This is the first study to explicitly address the impact of nearshore hypoxia on larval and juvenile fish off the U.S. west coast. Ciannelli hopes the study will increase our understanding of how hypoxic events affect coastal fisheries resources, which in turn could lead to more informed decision-making by resource managers, government agencies, and coastal communities.

Learn more:

• Predicting Habitat Quality of Juvenile English Sole and Dungeness Crab in Coastal And Estuarine Nursery Grounds (2012-2014 project)