ASSESSMENT OF ICHTHYOPLANKTON IN SAUDI-ARABIAN GULF WATERS BEFORE AND AFTER THE 1991 GULF OIL-SPILL

A total of 1073 ichthyoplankton tows were made at 49 stations along the Saudi Arabian Gulf coast from 1984 to 1991. The eggs and larvae of fishes and shrimp contained in the samples collected were sorted and enumerated. The results of analyses of data from these samples suggest that exposure to the slicks and sheens from the 1991 Gulf Oil Spill reduced the abundance of fish eggs and larvae significantly (p < 0.05) as compared to samples collected in unexposed areas nearby. The abundance of the eggs and larvae of penaeid shrimp was also reduced. Except for samples collected in areas adjacent to visible slicks and sheens, a comparison of the abundance of fish eggs and larvae collected near Abu Ali Island during 1991 after the Gulf War did not yield data which suggest that these values were less than that found in past years or at other stations along the Saudi Arabian Gulf coast.