SALMON SURVIVE OIL SPILL

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 88 (3) ◽  
pp. A72-A72
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
Prince William Sound ◽  
Washington Post ◽  
Exxon Valdez ◽  
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill ◽  
Better Than

When the Exxon Valdez hit the rocks of Prince William Sound last year, there were predictions of a near-apocalypse for Alaska's salmon industry. Well, this year's salmon catch is coming to an end and it turns out it will be the biggest in history... So far, the Washington Post reports that 40 million salmon have been caught, far outstripping the 1987 record harvest of 29 million. Many of the salmon were hatched last spring in the very waters fouled by the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The rest were released from hatcheries in Prince William Sound and swam through the same waters on their way to the ocean. At the largest hatchery in the area, the number of pink salmon returning to the sound this summer was double the average of recent years. Last year's oil spill apparently had little effect on the growth of plankton in the sound, the main source of food for young salmon. Salmon hatcheries report plankton growth was better than ever this year.

APPLICATION OF ECOLOGICAL RISK ASSESSMENT PRINCIPLES TO NATURAL RESOURCES DAMAGE ASSESSMENT

1997 ◽  
Vol 1997 (1) ◽  
pp. 1025-1026 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan W. Maki ◽  
Ernest Brannon ◽  
Jerry M. Neff ◽  
Walter D. Pearson ◽  
William A. Stubblefield
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Ecological Risk ◽  
Ecological Risk Assessment ◽  
Damage Assessment ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
Prince William Sound ◽  
Exxon Valdez ◽  
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

ABSTRACT Ecological risk assessment principles are basic to the assessment of environmental injury during the Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA) process; however, what is sought is quantified injury, rather than quantified risk, to valued ecosystem components. These principles were used to develop an NRDA program for studies of injury to herring and pink salmon populations in Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska, following the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Overall, exposures and subsequent effects of the spill on herring and salmon were minimal and post-spill harvests of the year's classes that were at greatest risk of spill injury were at or near record levels.

scholarly journals Nine Years After the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: Effects on Marine Bird Populations in Prince William Sound, Alaska

The Condor ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 102 (4) ◽  
pp. 723-737 ◽  
Author(s):  
David B. Irons ◽  
Steven J. Kendall ◽  
Wallace P. Erickson ◽  
Lyman L. McDonald ◽  
Brian K. Lance
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Prince William Sound ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Exxon Valdez ◽  
Marine Bird ◽  
Marine Birds ◽  
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill ◽  
Positive Effects

Abstract We compared post Exxon Valdez oil-spill densities of marine birds in Prince William Sound from 1989–1991, 1993, 1996, and 1998 to pre-spill densities from 1984–1985. Post-spill densities of several species of marine birds were lower than expected in the oiled area of Prince William Sound when compared to densities in the unoiled area. These negative effects continued through 1998 for five taxa: cormorants, goldeneyes, mergansers, Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba), and murres. Black Oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani) and Harlequin Ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) exhibited negative effects in 1990 and 1991. Loons showed a weak negative effect in 1993. Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) showed relative decreases in 1989, 1996, and 1998 which may have been caused by shifts in foraging distribution rather than declines in populations. Glaucous-winged Gulls (Larus glaucescens) showed positive effects in most post-spill years. Murrelets and terns showed relative increases in 1993, 1996, and 1998. Generally, taxa that dive for their food were negatively affected, whereas taxa that feed at the surface were not. Effects for some taxa were dependent upon the spatial scale at which they were analyzed. Movements of birds and the mosaic pattern of oiling reduced our ability to detect oil-spill effects, therefore our results may be conservative. Several marine bird species were negatively affected at the population level and have not recovered to pre-spill levels nine years after the oil spill. The reason for lack of recovery may be related to persistent oil remaining in the environment and reduced forage fish abundance.

Comparative Toxicities of Polar and Non-Polar Organic Fractions From Sediments Affected By the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska

1995 ◽  
Vol 10 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 137-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas A. Wolfe ◽  
K. John Scott ◽  
John R. Clayton ◽  
John Lunz ◽  
James R. Payne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Prince William Sound ◽  
Exxon Valdez ◽  
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill ◽  
Organic Fractions

Review of Studies on Oil Damage To Prince William Sound Pink Salmon

2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 (1) ◽  
pp. 569-575
Author(s):  
Ernest Brannon ◽  
Keya Collins ◽  
Lawrence Moulton ◽  
Keith R. Parker
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
Sampling Procedure ◽  
Prince William Sound ◽  
Measurable Effect ◽  
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill ◽  
Differences Of Opinion ◽  
History Of ◽  
Oil Exposure

ABSTRACT In the tenth year following the Exxon Valdez oil spill, differences of opinion still exist about injuries to pink salmon. It was alleged that exposure to oil reduced growth of fry and induced mortality in eggs. The authors reexamined the allegation that injury occurred and have concluded that insufficient consideration was given to other factors that affected results in the studies from which these allegations were drawn. The inability to track temperature differences and the unknown ages of fry precluded assessment of oil effects on growth during early marine residence. Reported higher egg mortality and long-term injury alleged to have resulted from oil exposure during incubation were confounded by the mortality of eggs that occurred as an artifact of the sampling procedure, unrelated to oil effects. The authors concluded that injury to incubating pink salmon embryos and reduced fry growth were based on an incomplete assessment of other factors that influenced these results. This evidence is supported by other research that has disclosed no oil effects on incubating eggs. Among these were studies that showed measured oil concentrations reaching the incubation substrate were 14 to 7,600 times below the lethal threshold. The seven largest runs in the history of Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska have returned in the 10 years following the spill, which ultimately demonstrated the lack of measurable effect of the oil spill on pink salmon. The authors suggest that the allegation of oil-induced injury to PWS pink salmon needs to be reconsidered in light of these analyses.

Fish and Wildlife Recovery Following the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

1999 ◽  
Vol 1999 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-133
Author(s):  
John A. Wiens ◽  
Ernest L. Brannon ◽  
David L. Garshelis ◽  
John Burns ◽  
Anne A. Hoover-Miller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
Natural Variability ◽  
Harbor Seals ◽  
Exxon Valdez ◽  
Sea Otters ◽  
Seabird Species ◽  
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill ◽  
Habitat Occupancy

ABSTRACT The authors review studies of four taxa—pink salmon, sea otters, harbor seals, and several species of sea-birds—widely believed to have suffered severe impacts from the Exxon Valdez oil spill. These studies were conducted over a 10-year post-spill period and included pre-spill information where possible. They demonstrated earlier suggestions of negative impacts may have been unfounded (harbor seals) or the species either exhibited no obvious detrimental effects from the spill (pink salmon population runs, population density and habitat occupancy of half the 23 seabird species examined) or indicated impacts followed by clear evidence of subsequent recovery (sea otters, the remaining seabird species). These species' apparent resilience to perturbations such as oil spills may be related to these ecosystems' high natural variability. Evaluating spill effects is enhanced by long-term studies that recognize the natural variability of marine environments and use a rigorous study design. The results of such studies also must be interpreted objectively, free of preconceptions about spill effects and divorced from advocacy positions.

scholarly journals Bald Eagles in Alaska Following the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

1991 ◽  
Vol 1991 (1) ◽  
pp. 229-233
Author(s):  
Marjorie J. Gibson
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Prince William Sound ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Exxon Valdez ◽  
Bald Eagles ◽  
Field Surveys ◽  
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill ◽  
Rehabilitation Programs ◽  
Kodiak Island ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT Despite initial concerns about the impact of the Exxon Valdez oil spill on bald eagles in Prince William Sound, accumulating evidence indicates that the area's eagle population is doing well. This paper presents and discusses the 1989 data collected during the Prince William Sound and Kodiak Island Eagle Capture and Short-term Rehabilitation Programs, as well as 1990 data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's operational field surveys.

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