A summary of samples collected for chemical and biological 

 analyses are presented in Tables 1-2 and 1-3. Specific sam- 

 pling methods and analytical procedures and techniques are 

 discussed in the following sections on chemical and biological 

 analyses. 



The damage assessment focused on chemical analyses of 

 gasoline hydrocarbons in the water column, fish, macro- 

 invertebrates, and plankton; benthic and zooplankton com- 

 munities structure was analyzed, and fish eggs were screened for 

 cytogenetic damage. 



1.3 Conclusions 



The Ocean 250 gasoline spill did not cause serious impact in 

 the coastal waters off southern Rhode Island. The slick dissipated 

 within 24 h of the spill and appeared to have been confined within 

 a 4 km ellipse to the south and southwest of Watch Hill Reef. This 

 is surmised from early visual observations and from shore surveys 

 of sourthern Rhode Island and Fishers Island which revealed no 

 traces of gasoline in the water or in the sediments. 



In the area directly adjacent to Watch Hill Reef and within 

 the sampling grid (Fig. 1-2) gasoline components were detected in 

 the water column, in zooplankton and selected benthic in- 

 vertebrates, indicating that gasoline was well mixed in the water 

 column down to the bottom where it was accumulated either 

 directly by filter-feeding organisms or through food chain com- 

 ponents. 



The greatest detectable impact was on the embryos of two 

 species of fish, the yellowtail flounder, Limanda ferruginea, and 

 the fourbeard rockling, Enchelyopus cimbrius. However, because 

 the spill was localized and spawning was light at the time, 



no long-term effects on the resident populations of the southern 

 Rhode Island coast are anticipated. 



The analysis of fish flesh samples, including a control from 

 Narragansett Bay, also indicated the presence of some gasoline 

 components in the flesh; more important, it detected the presence 

 of relatively high levels of other anthropomorphic hydrocarbons 

 in many of the fish, indicating that there is a chronic release into 

 these coastal waters. The implications of this release to renewable 

 marine resources and public health are just beginning to be ex- 

 amined. 



Although areas further offshore and east of the spill area 

 have been studied in the past, there was no baseline information 

 available against which to compare such a site specific study as 

 this. In addition, the small sample size as well as the short sam- 

 pling period do not allow for conclusions on natural variability 

 and, therefore, it is impossible to draw definitive conclusions on 

 the effects of the spill on species composition or abundance. 

 However, the hydrocarbon analyses as a whole and especially 

 those on the fish samples point out the chronic presence of 

 anthropogenic hydrocarbons in this coastal marine environment. 

 This, together with the deleterious effect of the gasoline on fish 

 eggs, indicates impact, some due to the Ocean 250 spill, some due 

 to other sources. 



The gasoline spill was the first major spill in the eastern 

 United States since the Argo Merchant sank off Nantucket Shoals 

 in December 1976. Since that time toxic spill response plans had 

 been developed through regional workshops and individual agen- 

 cies. As a result the response to the Ocean 250 represented an in- 

 tegrated, coordinated, and efficient effort from the local scientific 

 community including Federal, State, and university personnel. 

 This report represents the results of the damage assessment ac- 

 tivities initiated at the time of the spill. 



Table 1-2.— Summary of samples collected on RV Snider cruise 78-01. 17-20 March 1978 in the area of the 



barge Ocean 250 grounding. 







Butterfly 









Shipek 









Niskin 



sterile - 







Rocking 



trip- 



Sur- 





Station 



(duplicate 



plastic bag 



Neu- 



Plank- 



chair 



licate 



face 



Salin- 



no. 



casts) 



water sample Trawl 



ston 



ton 



dredge 



grabs 



temp. 



ities 



9 

 10 

 11 

 12 

 13 

 14 

 15 

 16 

 17 

 18 



12 



' Duplicate. 



'Duplicate 0.505 mm mesh samples, no 0.333 mm mesh samples. 

 '0.333 mm mesh net lost; no sample-replaced with 0.505 mm mesh net. 

 'Doors crossed; no sample. 



