At first they were worried: had the oil destroyed their nursing grounds? It could be the nursing grounds, the fishing ban, some combination of the two, or other unknown factors. Only one thing is certain: that scientists need more time to fully understand the impacts of the oil spill.
To learn more about the oil spill, flip through this photo essay about what scientists have learned about the ecosystem's communities in the past two years. You should also check out this feature on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill , published two years ago at the time of the spill, and watch these fabulous videos from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute about their research in the Gulf and how it's been affected by the spill.
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Environmentalist Richard Charter of the Defenders of Wildlife organization said the size of the oil spill will be overwhelming to cleanup crews. You're looking at a long-term poisoning of the area. Ultimately, this will have a multidecade impact. Some officials worried the destruction could surpass the Exxon Valdez disaster of 20 years ago.
That oil tanker ran aground on the Bligh Reef in Alaska's Prince William Sound in and spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil. The surface oil from the Exxon Valdez spill had largely disappeared within three years of the spill, according to studies conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Response and Restoration. The report said that what oil did remain could be found on beaches that were near still water.
The residual oil was not nearly as toxic as the oil studied in the days after the spill. The report said "intertidal species can tolerate its presence even though it can accumulate in their tissues. However, a study published in the journal Science disputed the NOAA finding of toxicity and said that oil in the sediment was still harming the species more than a decade after the accident.
A spokeswoman told the Anchorage Daily News last year that oil in some parts of the sound is still toxic. All the scientists CNN spoke to said that the long-term impacts of the spill depend on how much oil reaches the coast.
Of particular concern are brown pelicans and federally threatened piping plovers. Brown pelicans were removed from the endangered species list just five months before the Gulf disaster. Since the spill, brown pelicans have been collected, so we can assumed that more than 9, have likely been harmed. Scientists reported oiled pelicans still being found a year after the spill.
The five sea turtles species found in the Gulf green, Kemp's ridley, hawksbill, leatherback and loggerhead are all federally listed as endangered or threatened, and the spill harmed them all.
Scientists estimate that at least five times as many turtles die as wash up on shore, indicating that between 5, and 6, sea turtles have likely been harmed by the oil spill. At least four species of marine mammals have been killed by the oil spill, including bottlenose dolphins, spinner dolphins, melon-headed whales and sperm whales. Oiled marine mammals have been collected from west of Cameron, Texas, to Port St. Joe, Fla. Researchers reported carcasses washing up daily — half being stillborn or dead infant dolphins.
The widespread pollution from the BP oil spill caused fishing closures across 88, square miles. The Gulf of Mexico is home to more than fish species, with new species continuing to be discovered.
Oil and dispersed oil are toxic to all life stages of fish, and oil spills affect fish reproduction for at least decades. The BP disaster particularly threatens species that are already at risk of extinction such as Atlantic bluefin tuna, Gulf sturgeon, smalltooth sawfish and the dwarf seahorse.
The oil spill occurred during the peak spawning months for the bluefin tuna, pushing this severely overfished species closer to the brink of extinction.
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