Background Information
On 20th April 2010, an explosion was seen in the Deep-water Horizon (DWH) rig that resulted in the release of approximately 200 million gallons of oil that went into the Gulf of Mexico before the well was covered in July of the same year. It is estimated that about 100,000 kilometers that were inclusive of 1,000 total linear miles of Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana were affected. The oil spill is considered to be one of the largest offshore oil spills to happen in the history of the United States (Barron, 2012). Many stakeholders including institutions that are located around the gulf and scientists started a rigorous scientific process aimed at assessing the injury. Even though efforts were made to reduce the effects of the spill, there were some notable effects on the marine life. The effect was more severe considering the fact that the Gulf of Mexico is considered to be the most valuable territories because it has a variety of marine life such as shrimp and fish. The negative effect of the oil spill is highly discussed in the scientific world. It affected species, the drilling discharges, and the environment near the shores. The oil spill affected the marine life in many ways such as physically, behaviorally, and by modifying their natural habitat (Bowen, 2007).
Effects on Dolphins
Death
The oil spill had negative effects on marine mammals that included whales and dolphins. It is estimated that dolphins that were found in the Barataria Bay, the site that was most affected when there was a spill from the Deep-water Horizon. The spill also harmed and killed more than six thousand sea turtles and an estimated 25,000 marine mammals that included various species of dolphins. The findings were in line with the study done by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (2015). The study found out that the spill had contributed to a large amount of deaths among the dolphins (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2015). It is also in line with the findings by Wilkinson (2015) that indicated that there was an increase in the number of dolphin deaths many of which has adrenal gland and lung lesions that were in line with high exposure to petroleum compounds. The study concluded that the Deep-water Horizon spill was most likely what increased the number of deaths (Wilkinson, 2015).
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The dolphins were exposed to the oil through three different ways that included direct contact with the oil that stuck to their skin. They were also exposed through ingestion when they ate fish that had been contaminated or directly from water. Finally, they were exposed to the oil through the inhalation of aerosolized compounds that are derived from oil or as a result of breathing the air that was from the water surface.
Spread of diseases
The bottlenose dolphins found in the Barataria Bay suffered from a number of maladies that included adrenal problems and lung disease. The spill also affected their weight because they were underweight, had lung disease, low red blood cell count, and had pneumonia. Some dolphins that were found in the Barataria Bay were also found to have lung disease and pneumonia and were losing their teeth prematurely. However, the spill did not only affect dolphins but other marine life as well.
Effects on Fishery
Decrease in Population
After the spill of 2014, there was a direct effect on the fish population and oysters that became very low. Oysters were more affected because of the fact that they could not escape the oil and were also affected by the freshwater river diversions that were seen after the spill. However, the fish population was not affected so much because of their ability to move away from the zones that were affected by the spill.
Body Oiling
A study by Barron (2012) found out that the spill resulted in lining of fisheries that were close to the incident which increased the number of deaths. The incident affected larvae or embryos because it happened during the tuna-spawning season. They were affected seriously as they grew older. They, in turn, developed defects to the heart that affected their ability to catch food. The resulting effect was premature death. The findings are very crucial because they show the impact of oil on the heart of some fish. It also explains the reduction in the population of tuna.
Deformities
After the oil spill in the year 2010, many marine lives had been disfigured horribly. For example, there existed eyeless fish, crabs that had holes on their shells, and shrimp that had tumors. It is estimated that before the spill only about 0.1 percent of the fish in the gulf had sores or lesions on them. However, after the spill, the number increased rapidly. The after effect included shrimps that had tumors on their heads, those with defects on their gills, those without eyes, those that had babies attached to them, and shrimps whose shells were missing mainly around their head and gills. Fish were also affected where there were reports of fish that did not have eye-sockets, those that did not have covers on their gills, those that had large pink masses that were hanging off their gills and eyes, and eyeless fish. Crabs were also affected where some had holes in their shells; some were dying from within, while other crabs had shells that did not have misshapen or spikes claws.
Effect of Oil Spill Years Later
Years later after the oil spill that happened in the year 2010 there is still poor health and damage in the coral reefs. Damage is also seen in the related marine lives which are found at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. There is still damaged in the deep-sea corals that are often seen to be coated in a clumpy brown that contains petroleum (US Department of Commerce, 2015). The sediments also show evidence of communities that is out of balance that included tiny invertebrates that inhabit the seafloor sediments.
There has also been observing a high mortality rate that mainly involves the bottlenose dolphins that are located in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The ongoing die-off that is seen among the bottlenose dolphin is related to the oil spill that was in the United States. The Barataria Bay is considered to be one of the coastal areas that were most heavily oiled from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The study shows that there is still a decrease in the number of dead dolphins in the region.
Lessons Learnt
Evidently, the discharge of oil has negative impacts on marine life as indicated above. It damages fisheries, dolphins, and even the marine habitat (Beckett, 2002. The case of Deep Water Horizon oil spill brings out the negative effects of such a situation and deep sea oil, gas, and water drilling. There are lessons that can be driven from this case so that given the same situation, companies would make the right decision for the sake of marine life. One of the most crucial strategies is to develop a crisis plan, control procedures, and disaster management plans to reduce the frequency of such disasters. Companies also need to come up with strong environmental management procedures to ensure that they appreciate the environment in which they operate in and ensure that their actions do not negatively affect the surrounding (Carriger, 2011).
From the analysis above, it is vital to conclude that pollution that is from activities that are done by offshore companies are likely to result in degradation of the environment in the marine. In the region where major disasters often take place, pollution can result in negative consequences not only for the environment but also to human beings. The Deep-water Horizon disaster is one of the best examples that can teach people some lessons. It resulted in the release of approximately 200 million gallons of oil that went into the Gulf of Mexico before the well was covered in July of the same year. It is estimated that about 100,000 kilometers that were inclusive of 1,000 total linear miles of Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana were affected. The oil spill is considered to be one of the largest offshore oil spills to happen in the history of the United States. The oil that was spilled had a negative impact on marine life. For example, it led to the spread of diseases and death among dolphins. It also had negative effects on the fishery in terms of increase in diseases, it resulted in body oiling, and resulted in deformities. Years later there is still some effects of the oil spill. There is still poor health and damage in the coral reefs. Damage is also seen in the related marine lives which are found at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. There has also been observing a high mortality rate that mainly involves the bottlenose dolphins that are located in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
References
Barron, M. (2012). Ecological Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Implications for Immunotoxicity. Sage journals , pp. 315-320.
Beckett K. J., Aulerich R. J., Duffy L. K., Patterson J. S., Bursian S. J. (2002). Effects of dietary exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of weathered Prudhoe Bay crude oil in ranch-raised mink (Mustela vison). Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 69, 593–600.
Bowen L., Riva F., Mohr C., Aldridge B., Schwartz J., Miles A. K., Stott J. L. (2007). Differential gene expression induced by exposure of captive mink to fuel oil: A model for the sea otter. Ecohealth 4, 298–309
Carriger J., & Barron M.G. (2011). Minimizing risks from spilled oil to ecosystem services using influence diagrams: The Deepwater Horizon spill response. Environ Sci Technol 45, 7631–7639
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2015, 05 20). Deepwater Horizon oil spill contributed to high number of Gulf dolphin deaths; Tissue study finds petroleum contaminants likely source of lung, adrenal lesions causing deaths . Retrieved from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2015/20150520-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-contributed-to-high-number-of-gulf-dolphin-deaths.html
US Department of Commerce. (2015, 10 26). Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Tied to Further Impacts in Shallower Water Corals, New Study Reports . Retrieved from US Department of Commerce: http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/significant-incidents/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill/deepwater-horizon-oil-spil
Wilkinson, A. (2015). Deepwater Horizon oil spill linked to Gulf of Mexico dolphin deaths; Animals suffered from adrenal and lung problems that are consistent with exposure to petroleum. International Weekly Journal of Science .
