World Geography Supplementary Notes

OIL QUALITY Oil quality varies with viscosity. Heavy, viscous (thick slow running) oil is used for asphalt and electric generating stations. Light less viscous oil is easier and cheaper to refine. It is used for gasoline, jet fuel, and petroleum products.

Global Distribution Most oil regions of the world are on land. The ones that are under the ocean floor are concentrated in the North Sea around the United Kingdom and in the Gulf of Mexico. Oil production mainly controlled by OPEC countries. North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico are regions of high offshore oil production. Offshore oil production is increasing faster than land production of oil. West Africa, especially around the Ivory coast seems to have high oil reserves and is increasing in oil production too.

High Risk Areas The Gulf of Mexico is one of the world's largest producer of offshore oil. Prone to earthquakes and volcanoes. Hurricanes and tropical storms are also common in the Gulf as well. Both of these natural disturbances can make offshore oil spills in the gulf of Mexico more of a concern. Consequently the rigs must be well prepared to deal with impending disturbances. The North sea has two natural disturbances to deal with. – Winter storms of the North Atlantic can be quite severe. – Greatest concern in the North sea is the threat of icebergs. – Planning for storms and ice bergs must be a part of preparation.

Economic Impact Jobs Injection of money into local economy Spin-off industries (eg. Refinery) Some inflation, increased housing costs, etc. Provincial financial picture (federal provincial agreements) Market price affects investment levels

Economic Impact CTD. Why are we seeing the increase in offshore production? – Easy access oil is becoming rare on land – This means that on land operations are becoming more expensive (tar sands). – Offshore oil is filling a niche by providing an alternate source of oil as these land reserves dry up. – Without offshore oil we could expect even higher prices!!!

Types of Fisheries and Associated Methods The Elements of all Fishing Operations The elements associated with a fishing operation vary between inshore fisheries and off-shore fisheries. Location = the distance from shore varies. How far out to sea the vessel goes. How long the vessel out to sea. Gear & technology = boat size, gear type differ from inshore to off-shore fishing. Ownership = ownership varies between private, where a fisher owns the operation to corporate, in which a company or partnership of companies own the operation. Procedures = procedures vary from daily fishing followed by fish sales to the onshore plant to month long trips on factory freezers that process and freeze fish on board. Processing = processing on-shore at a plant or on-boat Labor & capital = labor intensive fishing requires a lot of man hours and little equipment whereas capital intensive fishing requires much machinery but fewer people.

Fishing Gear Figure on page 206 of text book gives a great picture of the different kinds of gear used for fishing. Demersal (ground dwelling) fish and Pelagic (free swimming) fish are caught with different types of gear. Demersal – Otter Trawl: is the most common method used to catch demersal species. Funnel shaped net scoops the fish off the bottom. There has been much concern lately over the amount of damage the trawl does as it scraps along the ocean floor – Longline: this is a more efficient way of doing the old fashion baited hook. It is commonly used to catch dermersal species but can be used to catch pelagic species. Many hooks are hung off a long main line which floats on top of the water. This technique has very little environmental opposition. – Traps: are specifically designed for certain pelagic species. They crawl in and can not crawl out. The lobster and crab pots are good examples.

Gill Nets: can catch pelagic or demersal species. The thin mesh hangs in the water and fish get caught up as they try to swim through it. Some are ghost nets.

Pelagic – Trolling: works well for pelagic species like salmon, tuna & bill fish. Fishing lines are dragged behind the boat which trolls along at slow speed. – Purse Seines : are also particularly good for pelagic species. Two boats are required as one holds one end of the net while the other circles the net around the school of fish. The purse string closes the bottom of the net catching the fish inside.