103 



3.0 WORKSHOP CONCLUSIONS: MEETING NEW INFORMATION NEEDS 



In the preceding sections (2.1-2.6) of this workshop report, it has been established that Minerals Management 

 Service's (MMS') information needs are changing in response to a change in program emphasis. It is no longer 

 acceptable to manage the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) simply on the basis of description and subjectivity; we 

 must understand how the OCS ecosystems function and develop objective management criteria. It has also been 

 established (sections 2.2.1-2.2.17) that existing scientific approaches hold great potential for meeting the new 

 needs. However, there is no proven model for drawing on this developing expertise to achieve MMS' new needs. 



Before examining the academic community's ideas and suggestions, it is very important to understand that 

 changes in MMS' needs and the research community's capabilities have followed separate paths. Over the past 

 30 years, coastal oceanographers have changed both their method of conducting research and the primary 

 questions which are asked. In contrast, MMS has adopted only the newer research techniques while keeping 

 its questions directly focused upon the anticipation and detection of impacts. 



If there has been a single theme in coastal oceanography for the past three decades, it is that process oriented 

 studies and experimentation are more informative about the functioning of coastal systems than traditional 

 descriptive studies. Species composition, zoogeographic patterns, and other descriptive studies at the population 

 level are rarely considered high priority academic questions in OCS regions. Rather, new questions address 

 ecosystem processes such as rates and controls of primary and secondary production, nutrient cycling, etc. It 

 should be noted, that closer to shore in the rocky intertidal, population studies are still the primary emphasis. 

 However, these are of limited utility in the Gulf of Mexico OCS. 



In contrast to the academic change in emphasis away from populations, MMS has retained a need to know about 

 species and populations. It is difficult to imagine a situation in which environmental impact will be defined in 

 other than a species or population level change. Therefore, academic advocacy for process oriented studies is 

 reasonable only when a connection can be made between understanding the process and better understanding 

 population and species level changes. Drs. Turner and Rowe (section 3.1) present a strong case for the process 

 oriented ecosystem approach. 



The key to any impact study in the OCS is understanding the overwhelming natural variation so that low level 

 impacts can be detected. This critical understanding of natural variation will never be achieved via long-term 

 monitoring which only documents and describes changes in populations and species. Changes in populations 

 must be driven by success of larval recruitment, long-term survival on bottom, the pattern and rates of 

 productions, and other related ecosystem processes. Therefore, natural variation can only be understood if 

 faunal variation of importance to MMS is understood in the context of natural processes of production and 

 transport. 



This workshop faced three challenges: a major new ecosystem study, a major new long-term monitoring study, 

 and a renewed effort to look for impacts in the vicinity of long-term oil and gas activities. The level of academic 

 experience in each area differs, and this is reflected in the nature of advice from the scientific community. 



TEXLA Ecosystem Study - The oceanographic community at large is now highly experienced in planning, 

 conducting, and successfully completing regional ecosystem studies. The area calling for special 

 innovation is the definitive linking of ecosystem level processes with benthic population structure and 

 variation. 



• Long-Term Monitoring at Selected Marine Ecosystem Sites - The oceanographic community has virtually 

 no experience at large scale regional monitoring of ecological systems for more than a few years. The 

 simple suggestion that such programs can be accomplished by extension of traditional sampling over 

 long durations is dangerously flawed. Considerable thought and innovation will be required to design 

 an efficient program which will lead to a better understanding of natural variation of the kind and scale 

 relevant to MMS. 



• Detection of Impacts Associated with Long-Term Oil and Gas Activity Sites - On first examination, there 

 is an illusion that the oceanographic community has, by far, the greatest experience in this area. There 



