Gulf Oil Spill "Not Over": Dolphins, Turtles Dying in Record Numbers

Link: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/04/140408-gulf-oil-spill-animals-anniversary-science-deepwater-horizon-science/

By Christine Dell'Amore

Written for: National Geographic

The Image above shows the initial efforts to extinguish the fire, and contain the
spill. 

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico occurred four years ago, and still today the consequences are present. Several wildlife species are failing to adapt and recover. The most affected species are sea turtles and the Bottlenose dolphins which are dying in great numbers. The spill occurred in april 2010, and killed 11 workers, and spilling 750 million liters of oil into the Gulf. After the event, various agencies attempted to clean up the gulf, and succeeded to a certain extent, but what was more important was the effort they made to track the impacts the spill had on wildlife, and investigate the various ways that the effects could be minimized.  

It is estimated that 14 species are still failing to recover. Since the oil spill 900 bottlenose dolphins have been found either dead or stranded in the area affected. If the dolphins were placed in a line that would equal 2.4 kilometers, of dead dolphins. Along with the deaths of dolphins, many of them are ill, suffering from anemia, liver and lung diseases and a lack of weight. “When a predator like a dolphin is falling ill it is a sign that species further down the food chain are also having trouble” (Douglas Inkley, author of the report and a member of the national wildlife federation). Along with the dolphins the sea turtles are also endangered, there are 5 species of sea turtles that are found in the gulf. All of them are either threatened or endangered by the Endangered species act. On an annual basis, 500 dead sea turtles were found since the spill occurred. These numbers are based only on the turtles and dolphins that were found, there are many more which haven’t been found by scientists. Other species such as Bluefin and Yellowfin tuna, Sperm Whales, And loons (Birds that spend their summer in the Gulf) have all suffered some type of consequences, most relating to the concentration of toxic oil found in their blood.

Though the WWF and other organizations are still trying to clean up the ocean as much as possible, it is hard to remove oil from the ocean. But its impossible to make up for the species that were put into danger, as they are being put into more danger everyday, as they are still living in the polluted water. The best way to fix these problems is to prevent them from happening in the first place, the gulf will most likely never be as clean as it was prior to the spill, and this will cause further problems for wildlife. This relates to the current topic we are studying and the environmental viewpoints. It is interesting to note that the WWF, which should be a mostly ecocentric group, in the dark green region, are now resorting to a solution that a technocentric person would use. Once the problem is created they are trying to solve it with technology, as opposed to taking the proper steps towards prevention. An ecocentric person would have campaigned against the creation of the oil rig in the first place and wouldn't have allowed the accident to occur.