499 



no studies of organisms in the water column. The main constraint 

 Mr. Beller cited as the cause is that it is harder to do — it is harder 

 to take samples in the water column and it costs a lot more money. 



I think without having that information before us, we cannot 

 know to what extent the planktonic community depends on the 

 benthic community, or vice versa, to what extent do the fish 

 depend on any of these things. We don't have a complete look at 

 the picture. 



If we are going to use money as a constraint, and we consider the 

 amount of money coming in on those leases and the amount of 

 profit that the oil companies must believe they are going to receive, 

 something is very wrong. I think the design problems in the study 

 are not scientific difficulties. 



Mr. D' Amours. I appreciate that. Your answer is that you think 

 the interaction of the various species within the water system, the 

 dispersal of nutrients within the entire column, rather than just 

 the benthic — the muds in the benthic population should be studied. 

 That would be your recommendation. And you are suggesting that 

 the only reason it wasn't done, as Mr. Beller said earlier, was a 

 question of lack of funds. 



Ms. RiGG. One of the studies showed that 82 percent of the 

 barium hasn't been accounted for. The authors conclude that it is 

 likely it has dispersed. They don't know exactly where it went. I 

 don't understand how they can claim that it has probably dispersed 

 and therefore is not harmful, if they have not studied it. What if it 

 has dispersed in the tissues of the organisms in the water column. 



Mr. D' Amours. Are you aware of any other agencies, such as Na- 

 tional Marine Fisheries Service, conducting studies on the entire 

 water column? 



Ms. RiGG. To my knowledge, if there are studies going on, they 

 have not been synthesized with the RTF studies. 



Ms. Chapman. Mr. Chairman, it is my impression there are some 

 studies on the water column going forward. I believe they are 

 under the National Marine Fisheries Service. I think our recom- 

 mendation is that the results of those studies must be incorporated 

 along with all the others. 



Mr, D' Amours. I appreciate that. It is a good point. I also agree 

 with it, as a matter of fact. 



Mr. Ayers, a few moments ago, I thought you indicated there was 

 something else you wanted to say. Before we close, I thought per- 

 haps we should give you a chance to say it. Is there anything you 

 want to add? 



Mr. Ayers. I can't remember what it was. I guess I would like to 

 comment briefly on this water column idea. All the impacts we 

 have ever been able to observe, whenever they occur, have been on 

 the benthos near the well site. The reason is that because of ex- 

 tremely rapid settling and dispersion, materials don't stay in the 

 water column. Not in any concentration to be significant. 



I feel like the task force program addressed the right thing. It 

 would be interesting to know, we need to know, a lot more about 

 the water column in general — flow of nutrients, things like that. 

 But as far as the impact from drilling operations, which is what we 

 were trying to do with that program, it is really kind of irrelevant. 



Mr. D' Amours. Well 



