Northwestern Gulf shelf bio-atlas: study of the distribution of demersal fishes and penaeid shrimp of soft bottoms of the continental shelf from the Rio Grande to the Mississippi River Delta.

The purpose of this study effort has been to gather, analyze, and report via text and page size maps the occurrence and distribution of the major biological resources of the soft-bottom communities of the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico. The Department of the Interior is responsible for all permitting and leasing associated with the exploitation of oil and gas resources of the submerged lands of the Outer Continental Shelf and contiguoius submerged land seaward of the OCS under U.S. jurisdiction to the depth limit of technological capability. The Department of the Interior also has authority over certain secondarily associated activities, including the emplacement of pipelines for the transport of oil and gas, which may extend into areas such as the Inner Continental Shelf, bays, estuaries, and barrier islands.