1 have been hunting for years for mechanisms for that and we can 



2 hypothesize various things like the fecal pellet production. 



3 The mass transfer for that is not very efficient. We can't get an 



4 awful lot down that deep by any mechanism we know. I think there have 



5 been very few indications of sedimentation hydrocarbons in deep water. 



6 I don't know of any documented cases, but in shallow water at 10 to 20 



7 meters, there is the absorption of suspended particulates and so forth. 



8 In either this case or the oil spill case, you're going to have 



9 hydrocarbons in surface waters; how you get them down to where the 



10 critters are is a tough call. I don't know how you would do it. So, if 



11 there is a potential for a problem there, I don't see it. 



12 DR. BUTMAN: The discussion this afternoon will try to finish the 



13 general characteristics of the canyon. It seems like we're getting off 



14 into the specific effects. 



15 DR. AURAND: I think it is only relevant to the discussion of the 



16 thresholds. You need to probably color how much time you want to spend 



17 on the thresholds with some concept of what this means relative to 



18 thresholds. Other than that, I think you are probably right. 



19 I guess what I am trying to say is it may not matter whether you 



20 pick 10 percent or 1 percent. Certainly, you don't have to argue over 8 



21 percent or 9 percent, you know, for the thresholds, because we are not 



22 talking that kind of level of accuracy, if you will. 



23 MR. LANE: The transport matter under discussion is important; 



24 whether you say it is going to be 10 percent, 1 percent or 90 percent, 



25 you will have to be able to define mechanisms for the transport of this 



26 material into close contact with the organism and something that keeps 



27 it in contact long enough for adverse effects. 



28 DR. COOPER: I have just one follow-on. I probably agree with 



29 Brad, but bear with me for just one moment. 



30 Most of your commercial species in the heads of these canyons are 



31 partially or highly mobile. Many of them, because of the temperature 



32 regime, are very fast growing and mature sexually at a very young age. 



33 If the very worst were to happen and, say, the worst case scenario 



34 here was an oil spill where you had globs of oil in these pueblo village 



236 



