Establishes Viosca Knoll 862/906 as a habitat area of particular concern with regulations prohibiting fishing with bottom-tending gear, but allows royal red shrimp fisherman to keep their nets in the water, but off the bottom, in this area. The annual rental required by 30 CFR 250.1012 shall continue to be due and payable in December of each calendar year. were Viosca Knoll 862/906 and Viosca Knoll 826. 8.2) was collected from Viosca Knoll 906/862 (VK-906/862) during Dive 4744 at 307 m depth. This amendment establishes 13 new habitat areas of particular concern with fishing regulations that prohibit deployment of bottom-tending gear and anchoring by fishing vessels. The best development of DSCs in the GOM was previously documented within Viosca Knoll oil and gas lease blocks 826 and 862/906 (north-central GOM) and on … An interesting aspect of the platform populations is the known age of the structures, which sets a maximum age boundary on the corals as well. Contact Us Nonetheless, Walter was able to secure partners and on March 23, 2010, the #2 well was spudded. Viosca Knoll 906/862 (VK906/862) was at a depth horizon of 315 m and con-tained many small isolated colonies of Lophelia (13). Establish Viosca Knoll 862/906 as a habitat area of particular concern with regulations prohibiting fishing with bottom tending gear, but allow royal red shrimp fisherman to keep their nets in the water, but off the bottom, in this area. Establish Viosca Knoll 862/906 as an HAPC with regulations prohibiting fishing with bottom tending gear, but allow royal red shrimp fisherman to keep their nets in the water in this area. Contrasting population structure patterns among species indicates that divergent life histories may be the driving force behind population structure (i.e. Through comparisons of shared genetic diversity among these sites, we concluded that connectivity appeared high among these sites that spanned about 370 kilometers in the northern Gulf. In 1993, Walter made a significant discovery on the block. Viosca Knoll biotopes available to megafaunal invertebrates and demersal fishes. Establish Viosca Knoll 862/906 as a habitat area of particular concern with regulations prohibiting fishing with bottom tending gear, but allow royal red shrimp fisherman to keep their nets in the water in this area. Within the current Pulley Ridge HAPC, establish a new HAPC with fishing regulations prohibiting all fishing with bottom tending gear, except for long line gear. Report an Error, Site Index Within the Viosca Knoll 862/906 area, the gear deployment prohibitions do not apply to a fishing vessel issued a Gulf royal red shrimp endorsement, as specified in 50 CFR 622.50(c), while fishing for royal red shrimp. The Viosca Kr.oll Block Hazard Study has been reviewed by Nr. Viosca Knoll 862. During this cruise, we plan to use the Kraken II remotely operated vehicle to sample Lophelia corals from five to six platforms. Leiopathes sp. This paper documents extensive deep reef ecosystems composed of DSC and rocky hard-bottom recently surveyed on the West Florida Slope (WFS, eastern GOM) during six research … Another well was directionally drilled, finding nine productive oil and gas sands, totaling 450’ of hydrocarbon pay. Image courtesy of Skytruth,www.skytruth.org . The combined knowledge from the connectivity studies in the Lophelia II research program will tell us a lot about the biology and ecology of these deep and hard to access ecosystems. usgs-ofr-2008-1148 master appendix b page 1 of 1 master appendix b table 1.8: sediment samples usgs 2004-2006 lophelia investigation raw data archive cruise station date site name usgs-gm-2004-03 jsl-4744 7/30/04 viosca knoll 906-862 At the time, 2D seismic data wasn't sufficient to define subsurface structure or image amplitude anomalies in an area of mudflow. Within the current Pulley Ridge HAPC, establish a new HAPC with fishing regulations prohibiting all fishing with bottom tending gear, except for long line gear. The company’s engineering team creatively leveraged their talents to become a leading operator of subsea completed fields. Molecular analysis of bacterial diversity showed a marked difference between the two study sites, Viosca Knoll 906/862 (VK906/862) and Viosca Knoll 826 (VK826). License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. There are numerous platforms in close proximity to the VK reefs. Characterization of Viosca Knoll Biotopes Sulak et al. Molecular analysis of bacterial diversity showed a marked difference between the two study sites, Viosca Knoll 906/862 (VK906/862) and Viosca Knoll 826 (VK826). The Coelacanth platform is the third-tallest structure of its kind in the Gulf of Mexico—roughly 150 feet taller than the Eiffel Tower. Less than a month later, the Deepwater Horizon caught fire, shutting down all deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Since corals require hard substrate, such as rocks, to settle and grow, reef formation may be limited by space availability. GOM-JSL04-4734-BC1 7/23/04 Viosca Knoll 862 29°06.22’ 88°23.05’ 310 Table 1. What is the origin and age of the gray basal reef rock containing subfossil L. pertusa and bivalve inclusions? These sites are characterized by L. Establish Viosca Knoll 862/906 as a habitat area of particular concern with regulations prohibiting fishing with bottom tending gear, but allow royal red shrimp fisherman to keep their nets in the water in this area. Since natural reefs are likely thousands of years old, population structuring may differ substantially between natural and artificial reefs. The Viosca Knoll Haza*d Study has been reviewed by Mr. Phil Hosemann, Sohio's Regional Geophysicist. Interestingly, the accumulation was missed by less than 200’ by wells drilled by Humble Oil in 1968 and by McMoran in 1983. The Viosca Knoll Haza*d Study has been reviewed by Mr. Phil Hosemann, Sohio's Regional Geophysicist. Total production of all wells is over 15 million barrels of oil and 15 billion cubic feet of gas. NMFS notes that shrimp vessels fishing in Viosca Knoll 862/906 are mainly those fishing for royal red shrimp. At this site, the corals had less-calcified, fragile skeletons (“gracilis” morphotype [ 12 ]), and there was no hydrocarbon seepage. We’ve also sampled two ‘artificial reefs’ that were covered with significant Lophelia growth: the tankers Gulf Penn and Gulf Oil. During the Lophelia I studies, we collected samples from three natural Lophelia sites, Viosca Knoll (VK) 826, VK 862, and Green Canyon. Connectivity affects both population structure and genetic diversity, and may play a role in resiliency when faced with human and environmental disturbances. Although encountering an oil zone, the well was deemed marginally economic. In addition … Back in the lab, we will use variable genetic markers developed for Lophelia to obtain a ‘genetic fingerprint’ for each sample. Chapter 3. There are numerous platforms in close proximity to the VK reefs. It was more than a year before drilling could resume. © 2016 Walter Oil & Gas Corporation. Viosca Knoll 862 was Walter’s first subsea oil project as well as one of the company’s early horizontal well completions. Given that these structures often sit well above the sea floor, corals that settle on them may benefit from strong, nutrient-rich currents that deliver food and remove sediment that could otherwise inhibit survival and/or growth. Site Info, Office of Ocean Exploration and Research In 2008, a non-proprietary 3D survey with better acquisition parameters, allowing for deeper imaging, was purchased. Bottom tending gear is defined as: bottom longline, bottom trawl, buoy gear*, dredge, pot or trap, and bottom anchoring by fishing vessels. The Lophelia colonies at the Gulfpenn Wreck site exhibit 4.6 meters (15 feet) of vertical relief along the superstructure. Walter drilled its first well in VK 862 in 1995, hoping to find enough reserves to justify setting a platform in approximately 1000’ of water. Establishes Viosca Knoll 862/906 as a habitat area of particular concern with regulations prohibiting fishing with bottom-tending gear, but allows royal red shrimp fisherman to keep their nets in the water, but off the bottom, in this area. The platform serves as a junction platform for EPN's Viosca Knoll Gathering System and hosts a Taurus 60 driven gas compressor and a slug catcher for the Ram Powell gas pipeline. Viosca Knoll 862/906. There were indications of deeper potential, but the data was poorly resolved. While still imperfectly imaged due to the mudflow, Walter believed the new data indicated that prior wells had just missed a major hydrocarbon accumulation. The bacterial communities from VK826 were dominated by a variety of unknown mycoplasmal members of the Tenericutes and Bacteroidetes, whereas the libraries from VK906/862 were dominated by members of the Proteobacteria. Option c: “Prohibit bottom tending gear in the Viosca Knoll 862/906 HAPC. 7 . If platforms occur in appropriate locations and depths, they may increase connectivity among natural reefs, potentially adding resilience to the Gulf Lophelia community in the face of future environmental change or disturbance. There are numerous platforms in close proximity to the VK reefs. Establishes Viosca Knoll 862/906 as a habitat area of particular concern with regulations prohibiting fishing with bottom-tending gear, but allows royal red shrimp fisherman to keep their nets in the water, but off the bottom, in this area. Within the proposed Viosca Knoll 862/906 area, the proposed gear deployment prohibitions would not apply to a fishing vessel issued a Gulf royal red shrimp endorsement, as specified in 50 CFR 622.50(c) while fishing for royal red shrimp. One of the sites, VK862-906, is in close proximity to the site reported from the 1950’s field sampling by Moore and Bullis. WD 107 is located eight miles seaward of the Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River within a large active mudflow. Population connectivity is the exchange of individuals among geographically separated populations. Viosca Knoll 862 was Morakami’s first subsea oil project as well as one of the company’s early horizontal well completions. This paper documents extensive deep reef ecosystems composed of DSC and rocky hard-bottom recently surveyed on the West Florida Slope (WFS, eastern GOM) during six research … 2. Establish Viosca Knoll 862/906 as an HAPC with regulations prohibiting fishing with bottom tending gear, but allow royal red shrimp fisherman to keep their nets in the water in this area. The single photomosaic at the Viosca Knoll 862 site (VK862) is on a topographic high of exposed carbonate rock. Fishing for royal red shrimp occurs in deep waters The known age of the structures also allows for growth rate studies. Establish Viosca Knoll 862/906 as a habitat area of particular concern with regulations prohibiting fishing with bottom tending gear, but allow royal red shrimp fisherman to keep their nets in the water, but off the bottom, in this area. All rights reserved. (k) Viosca Knoll 862/906 HAPC. While several previous wells had been drilled on the block, commercial reserves had not been established. Subscribe GOM-JSL04-4734-BC1 7/23/04 Viosca Knoll 862 29°06.22’ 88°23.05’ 310 Table 1. The platform processes production from EPN's VK817 field and from the Walter Oil & Gas deepwater field in Viosca Knoll Block 862. The platform was designed to: For Viosca Knoll 862/906, ELB recorded 168 data points and 2 vessels while VMS recorded 8 data points corresponding to 2 bottom longline vessels and 13 data points corresponding to 2 bandit rig vessels. The deep ocean is often thought of as a vast expanse, devoid of substantial biota save for rare oases (i.e., hydrothermal vents, cold seeps, seamounts, deep water reefs). A second platform was installed over this well, simplifying subsequent operations. Natural cold seep sites greater than 1,000 meters depth are shown in green. The platform processes production from EPN's VK817 field and from the Walter Oil & Gas deepwater field in Viosca Knoll Block 862. 862 and 905 Viosca Knoll Area" was prepared by John Chance & Assoc.. Inc. and two (2) copies were previously submitted with the Initial POE on December 4, 1985. The initial well on block 36 logged 60’ of gas in two Miocene reservoirs. Fishermen possessing a royal red shrimp endorsement that are deploying royal red shrimp fishing gear are exempt from the prohibition on deployment of bottom-tending gear. Given the depth and expense of the well, securing drilling partners to this prospect would be challenging, particularly considering that 2009 was the nadir of the financial crisis. (VK-826 in yellow square on right and VK-862/906 on left). This data showed a more promising anomaly at 20,000 feet, deeper than any existing well had penetrated. The platform was designed to: accommodate future tie-backs from the flextrend and deepwater, and. The orange dots are oil platforms and the orange lines represent pipelines. host additional compression for the incoming pipelines. For Viosca Knoll 862/906, ELB recorded 168 data points and 2 vessels while VMS recorded 8 data points corresponding to 2 bottom longline vessels and 13 data points corresponding to 2 bandit rig vessels. The … The result should be a much more comprehensive picture of connectivity patterns and should allow assessment of the ecological importance of artificial reefs to the longevity of natural populations. Natural cold seep sites greater than 1,000 meters depth are shown in green. Deployment of bottom-tending gear (bottom longline, bottom trawl, buoy gear, dredge, pot or trap) and bottom anchoring by fishing vessels is prohibited year-round. Gaseous emissions at the dock site 1n Venice. The field produced 168 billion cubic feet of gas and 8 million barrels of oil before it was abandoned in 2008. Because connectivity is nearly impossible to directly measure due to the immense space in which tiny larvae have to disperse, sampling organisms from different reefs and indirectly measuring genetic connectivity and population structuring may be the only way to understand how these populations are connected to each other. With commodity prices starting to improve in the early 90’s,Walter’s growth accelerated with major discoveries at South Marsh Island 36/37, High Island A 21/22, S. Pelto 6, West Delta 106/107, Eugene Island 390, Viosca Knoll 862 and Ship Shoal 243. 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