Deepwater mystery: Oil loose in the Gulf

/Home//Gulf of Mexico BP Oil Spill/Oil Spill Effect on Food Chain

Deepwater mystery: Oil loose in the Gulf
By MATTHEW BROWN, Associated Press
May 31, 2010
MSNBC.com

Ripples across the food chain
The deep Gulf is an area where light can't penetrate and researchers rarely venture.

Yet what happens there can ripple across the food chain. Every night the denizens of the deep make forays to shallower depths to eat — and be eaten by — other fish, according to marine scientists who describe it as the largest migration on earth.

In turn, several species closest to the surface — including red snapper, shrimp and menhaden — help drive the Gulf Coast fishing industry. Others such as marlin, cobia and yellowfin tuna sit atop the food chain and are chased by the Gulf's charter fishing fleet.


Visit the web site for videos, slide show, and the rest of the article.