The U.S. natural gas rig count held flat at 94 during the week ended Friday (April 23), while a small contraction in oil-directed drilling saw the combined domestic tally ease lower, according to data from Baker Hughes Co. (BKR).

Oil rigs fell one unit to 343 in the United States for the week, lowering the combined U.S. count to 438. That’s down from 465 active units in the year-ago period, according to the BKR numbers, which are based partly on data provided by Enverus.

The Gulf of Mexico posted a net decline of one rig week/week, dropping its total to 11, versus 17 a year ago. Total U.S. land rigs remained unchanged at 426. One vertical unit was added in the United States, while one horizontal rig and one directional rig exited the patch.

The Canadian rig count also...