Sea Otters are Now Back to Pre-Exxon Oil Spill Numbers

The Exxon oil spill in 1989 caused massive damage to the Alaskan shoreline and its marine wildlife. Reports now show that the sea otters are back into the pre-oil spill numbers.

The Exxon Valdez crude oil spill off the coast of Alaska occurred in 1989. That was almost 25 years ago today. The latest report from the U.S. Geological Survey says that the sea otters living in the Prince William Sound are back to their original numbers prior to the oil spill. The areas where the sea otters live around the Prince William Sound were the most heavily affected by the disastrous oil spill.

Effect on Alaskan wildlife

Heavy mortality was suffered by the sea otters that were caught in the path of the oil spilled on the waters of Prince William Sound and several thousands were estimated to have been lost. According to scientific data and analysis collected and done through the years, it had been determined that the otters recovered slowly, since they were always exposed to the oil that remained in the water, as well as their food sources. Signs of recovery of the otter population was only evident starting in 2009, 20 years after the oil spill occurred. Positive and consistent results of recovery became more promising from 2011 up to 2013. The signs of recovery is consistent with Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council’s population recovery criteria they have established.

Lingering residue

Although there was a massive clean-up operation that went on for years, not all of the oil that spilled was removed. Otters rely on their thick fur to survive in winter. When grooming, they ingest oil. They also ingest oil when digging for clams, which they love to eat. Of course, the clams they eat also suffered from the oil spill, causing slow recovery of these sea creatures.

The oil spill

The accident happened when the Exxon Valdez oil tanker heading to Long Beach, California hit the Bligh Reef at Prince William Sound in Alaska on March 24, 1989. It occurred just past midnight and the damage to the tanker started to spill out 260,000 barrels of crude oil to over 750,000 barrels in the next few days. The Prince William Sound is a remote location and is only accessible by boat, plane or helicopter. These physical barriers made the situation very difficult for industry and government response groups. The size of the spill also taxed response plans. The area is a habitat of seabirds, seals, sea otters and salmon.

About 10.1 to 11 million U.S. gallons of crude oil spilled into the waters of the Alaskan shoreline based on official reports. That was a portion of the estimated 55 million U.S. gallons the tanker was carrying. Several factors contributed to the accident, including a drunk ship commander, Captain Joseph Hazelwood, who was sleeping in his bunker when the accident happened. At the ship’s helm at that time was a third mate.

Lawsuits

The ensuing law suits and appeals also took years, while the clean-up was ongoing. In the initial ruling, the court in Anchorage awarded Exxon $5 billion in punitive damages and $287 million in actual damages. The final punitive damages worth $507.5 million plus lawsuit costs and interest were already paid by Exxon by December 15, 2009.

Photo credit: Taken by matt knoth from San Francisco, yesicannibus under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.