Santa Barbara Channel fish and invertebrate surveys at oil and gas platforms

Dataset contains occurrences of fish and invertebrates at nine oil and
gas platforms between 1995 and 2011 in the southern California (Pt.
Arguello to Long Beach). Observations were collected using a manned
submersible at depths ranging from 29 – 224 meters (95 - 739 feet).
Data are organized into two tables: (1) the fish count (1995-2000) and
(2) the invertebrate count (1997-2011). Fish surveys were conducted primarily at nine Platforms (Irene,
Hidalgo, Harvest, Hermosa, Holly, Gilda, Grace, Gina, Gail) in the
Santa Barbara Channel and Santa Maria Basin. Invertebrate surveys were
collected at these nine platforms plus Platform Edith, located off
Long Beach (1998) and partial submersible surveys were completed
around Platforms C, B, A, Hillhouse, Henry, Houchin, Hogan, and
Habitat (2000). See additional methods under “Methods” and citations
therein. The Santa Barbara Channel and Santa Maria Basin are situated in a
dynamic marine transition zone between the regional flow patterns of
central and southern California. The Santa Barbara Channel is about
100 km long by about 50 km wide (60 x 20 miles) and is bordered on the
south by the Northern Channel Islands (San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa
Cruz, and Anacapa). The smaller Santa Maria Basin is located off Pt.
Arguello to the northwest. The entire area is bathed in a complex
hydrographic system of currents and water masses. The convergence of
different water masses in the Santa Barbara Channel results in
relatively large scale fluctuations in physical parameters (e.g.,
temperature, salinity, oxygen, and nutrient concentrations) and biotic
assemblages (e. g., flora and fauna).