ESRI Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Interactive Map

On April 20, 2010, Transocean Ltd. reported an explosion and subsequent fire on board the semisubmersible drilling rig Deepwater Horizon leased and operated by BP. The incident has resulted in a massive oil spill and has been declared an incident of national significance by President Barack Obama.
ESRI can help you with GIS support, information, collaboration with other users, and more. Two publicly available Web sites can be used for both general information and decision support.
Increase everyone's awareness of activities related to this tragic event by visiting ESRI's Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Response Web pages. We've made available an interactive disaster map application that allows you to contribute information by adding links to online photos, Web sites, and YouTube videos. This site is also available for organizations that require assistance with software, data, technical support, or project services.
Upload and share your own information by visiting ESRI's ArcGIS Online Web site. Up-to-date content is being published by ESRI and other organizations to support response and mitigation activities. The group currently features the following types of content:

• Applications: ESRI Web mapping applications that combine ESRI maps with other types of information
• Services: Links to ArcGIS services directories with relevant data
• Data and maps: Links to downloadable data and maps and layer packages

Gulf Oil Spill Support for You
ESRI wants to assist you - whether you work in a government agency or the private sector - with your response to the oil spill incident. Learn more. Visit ArcGIS Online to access the Gulf Oil Spill Response Group.

Questions?
Contact the disaster help coordination team.

More Links for Gulf Oil Spill Info

For Florida-specific updates, go to the FDEP website below as they are the lead agency for the state EOC system. You can sign up to get daily email updates that are quite informative, including which counties have activated EOCs, where oil impacts have been documented, fisheries closures, etc. The place to enter your email to get the updates is about half way down the right side of the page.

• FDEP Link

We are compiling ‘frequently asked questions (and answers)’ on the Florida Sea Grant web site. At this time the focus is on seafood safety with content provided and regularly updated by Steve Otwell.

• Steve Otwell FAQS Link

We also have compiled information on volunteer opportunities, including details on the HAZMAT training that is required to volunteer.

• HAZMAT Training Link

Website for Gulf Oil Spill Info

The Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant Programs are maintaining a new web site with resources related to the oil incident in the Gulf. It contains links to current information as well as links to places where instructions can be found for such things as how to file a claim, report onshore oil, identify volunteer opportunities, information on seafood, etc.

This web site was developed by Roy Kron of Louisiana Sea Grant (rkron@lsu.edu) in cooperation with communications staff at the four Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant Programs. Roy is site administrator if you need to contact someone about the web site.

http://gulfseagrant.tamu.edu/oilspill/index.htm

Record Fish Kills in Florida

Our offices have received numerous calls about fish kills that are occurring in Florida.  We felt that the following information might prove useful to you in answering requests for information as to what is occurring.

Many of you have heard about or seen fish dying in Florida ponds, lakes, and streams.  When the water or air temperatures fall below a critical level (scientifically termed their lower lethal temperature) for a particular species, they will die.  Humans, for example, can die due to hypothermia, when their body core temperature falls below a critical level.  As a result of Florida having a sub-tropical climate and several years of mild winters, quite a few exotic tropical fish species have become established or extended their range further into North Florida.  This year, we have record–setting cold temperatures.  Our nighttime low temperatures have been very low, and our daily high temperatures have also been lower than normal.  When this occurs, our water temperatures rapidly fall, often below the lethal temperature for many species.  This combination of a recent history of mild winters combined with an unusually cold winter has resulted in large die offs of tropical fish such as blue tilapia and suckermouth catfish, among others.

In addition to exotic fish species, some of our native (indigenous) aquatic species are also prone to cold-weather-induced kills.  Gizzard and threadfin shad often die during cold weather.  In Florida, we also have the Florida subspecies of the largemouth bass, which have evolved in Florida’s subtropical climate.  Florida largemouth bass will often die due to low water temperatures, while the ‘Northern’ largemouth bass survives.  Marine species, such as our common snook, tarpon, and sea trout, are also currently dying, especially if they are located in shallow areas that experience rapid drops in water temperature.

Even if fish don’t immediately die due to the cold, they will often become stressed, which can make them more susceptible to future illnesses (such as bacterial and fungal infections).  Some of these fish may later die, if their illnesses are severe.  Even if they don’t die, many may have temporary sores on the exterior parts of their bodies.  See Stress – Its role in fish disease..

There are other reasons as to why fish die.  To learn more about cold-induced and other types of fish kills, see our Florida LakeWatch Extension circular #107A Beginner’s Guide to Water Management – Fish Kills

If you want additional information, please feel free to contact us.

Chuck Cichra
Professor / Extension Fisheries Specialist
University of Florida
School of Forest Resources and Conservation
Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
7922 NW 71st Street
Gainesville, Florida  32653-3071
Phone:  (352)273-3621
Fax:      (352)392-3672
Email:    cecichra@ufl.edu
Web:     http://fishweb.ifas.ufl.edu/Cichra/Cichra.htm

Jeff Hill
Assistant Professor / Extension Non-Native Aquatic Species Specialist
University of Florida
School of Forest Resources and Conservation
Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory
1408 24th St. SE
Ruskin, FL  33570
Phone:  813-671-5230 ext 118
Fax:     813-671-5234
Email:   jeffhill@ufl.edu
Web:    http://tal.ifas.ufl.edu/jeff_hill.htm

Denise Petty, DVM
Aquaculture Extension Veterinarian
University of Florida
College of Veterinary Medicine - Large Animal Clinical Sciences
SFRC - Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
7922 NW 71st Ave.
Gainesville, FL 32653-3071
Phone:  352-273-3612
Fax:      352-392-3672
Email:    pettyd@ufl.edu
Web:    http://www.vetmed.ufl.edu/directory/denisepetty.html