Fisheries Report No 74 - Marine resources map of Western Australia- Part 2 - The influence of oil on marine resources and associated activities with an emphasis on those found in Western Australia

Authors

H. E. Jones, Fisheries Department Western Australia

Publication Date

12-1986

Series Number

Fisheries Report 74

Publisher

Fisheries Department Western Australia

City

Perth

ISBN

0 7309 1262 0; (0 7309 1260 4 (SET))

ISSN

0726-0733

Abstract

Part 1 of the text accompanying the marine resources maps dealt with the resources and the morphological, hydrological and meteorological characteristics of the Western Australian coastal environment. This subsidiary part is concerned with the effects of oil on marine resources and associated commercial and recreational activities.

Accounts of oil on the seas due to natural seepages appeared in Europe in the sixteenth century on the return of Spanish and Portuguese ships from voyages to the Americas. One of the earliest reports of oil pollution from a man-made source was in 1754 when leakages from wooden petroleum barges were prevalent in the Caspian Sea {in Nelson-Smith, 1973). Over a century later, in 1862, pollution from drilling activities occurred after oil from onshore wells in Pennsylvania flowed into Lake Erie (in Nelson-Smith, 1973).

Since then, there have been continual reports of accidental 06il pollution from ships and offshore wells which have led to global concern over the impact of oil on aquatic environments.

The advent of large tankers has resulted in several huge spills, the most remembered being the Torrey Canyon accident in 1967, when 117 000 tonnes of oil (about 800 000 barrels) were spilt off the south west coast of England, and the grounding of the Amoco Cadiz in 1978 which released 220 000 tonnes of oil into the sea close to Brittany

Number of Pages

37

Keywords

Marine resources, Oil, Oil spills, Western Australia

Disciplines

Aquaculture and Fisheries | Environmental Health | Environmental Health and Protection | Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment | Environmental Monitoring | Marine Biology | Natural Resources Management and Policy | Oil, Gas, and Energy | Survival Analysis | Toxicology

Recommended Citation

Jones, H E. (1986), Fisheries Report No 74 - Marine resources map of Western Australia- Part 2 - The influence of oil on marine resources and associated activities with an emphasis on those found in Western Australia. Fisheries Department Western Australia, Perth. Report Fisheries Report 74.
https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/fr_rr/299