Condition of larval red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) relative to environmental variability and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
TheDeepwaterHorizon oil spill (DWHOS) spatially and temporally overlappedwith the spawning of many fish species, including Red Snapper, one of themost economically important reef fish in the Gulf ofMexico. To investigate potential impacts of theDWHOSon larval Red Snapper, data from a long-term ichthyoplankton survey off the coast of Alabamawere used to examine: (1) larval abundances among pre-impact (2007–2009), impact (2010), and post-impact (2011, 2013) periods; (2) proxies for larval condition (size-adjustedmorphometric relationships and dryweight) among the same periods; and (3) the effects of background environmental variation on larval condition.We found that larval Red Snapper were in poorer body condition during 2010, 2011, and 2013 as compared to the 2007–2009 period, a trend that was strongly (and negatively) related to variation in Mobile Bay freshwater discharge. However, larvae collected during and after 2010were in relatively poor condition even after accounting for variation in freshwater discharge and other environmental variables. By contrast, no differences in larval abundancewere detected during these survey years. Taken together, larval supply did not change relative to the timing of theDWHOS, but larval condition was negatively impacted. Even small changes in condition can affect larval survival, so these trends may have consequences for recruitment of larvae to juvenile and adult life stages.