Twenty-two samples of fish and invertebrates have been sent to the NOAA 

 National Analytical Laboratory in Seattle for complete hydrocarbon analyses. 

 Pending the outcome of those tests, a second group of samples may be sent. 



Of the seabirds affected by the spilled oil, observed mortality was 

 highest among Murres. Lack of adequate offshore sampling information pre- 

 cludes any definitive conclusions on the extent of impact. 



Marine mammals did not appear to be affected by the oil in the few cases 

 where they were seen in the vicinity of oil. However, as with the seabirds, 

 these findings are based on very limited sampling. 



It should be noted that no significant adverse effects have been re- 

 ported by fishermen trawling off the Rhode Island and Massachusetts coasts. 

 In 900 interviews conducted by NMFS Port Agents, only 26 reported damage, 

 mostly to sea birds. Only two fishermen indicated problems associated with 

 the fouling of gear in oil slick waters. 



ONGOING ACTIVITIES 



The field phase of the research activities described in this report thus 

 far have been completed. There are, however, a number of ongoing activities 

 which are discussed below. 



6.1 Physical Processes 



The U.S. Coast Guard will continue the mapping of the oil released from 

 the Avgo Merchant until stopped by the Federal On-Scene Coordinator (OSC) 

 when he determines that it is no longer necessary. 



The National Weather Service will continue to provide support to the OCS 

 and the community at large in the form of forecasts, warnings, etc. In the 

 event that a "blowup" of the wreck is planned, the operation will be expanded 

 to include 10-day outlooks, delegation of a Weather Service operational re- 

 presentative to collocate with the OSC, and expanded and more numbeous fore- 

 casts. It has been estimated that operational support may be necessary for 

 surveillance, diving, and other activities through mid- 1977. 



The data collected by the installed current meters will be retrieved and 

 analyzed by the organizations which supplied them. These data will be very 

 useful to the modelers concerned with forecasting spilled oil movement for 

 validating intermediate portions of their models and to refine them to the 

 local and other areas. 



The outputs generated by each of the models described in Section 2.3 

 will be further analyzed in efforts to improve their accuracy in light of the 

 new information acquired. 



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