CHAPTER IV 



THE EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL, PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND, ALASKA 



Prince William Sound, which lies near the top of the 850- 

 mile arc of the Gulf of Alaska, is one of the largest undeveloped 

 marine ecosystems in the United States with a shoreline of more 

 than 2,000 miles. On 24 March 1989, the pristine character of 

 Prince William Sound was altered, perhaps irrevocably. Shortly 

 after midnight, the tanker Exxon Valdez, carrying more than 50 

 million gallons of crude oil, ran aground and ruptured its hull 

 on Bligh Reef. The result was the largest oil spill in U.S. 

 history. In less than five hours, approximately 11 million 

 gallons of crude oil poured into the sound. Five months later, 

 the oil had contaminated nearly 10,000 sguare miles of water in 

 Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska. In addition, an 

 estimated 2,045 miles of shoreline were contacted by oil, more 

 than 550 miles of which by heavy to moderate amounts of oil. 



Assessment and Mitigation of Impacts on Marine Mammals 



At least seven species of marine mammal inhabit or occur 

 seasonally in Prince William Sound. These include the sea otter 

 (Enhydra lutris ) , the northern or Steller sea lion ( Eumetopias 

 iubatus ) ; the harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) ; the harbor porpoise 

 (Phocoena phocoena) ; Dall's porpoise ( Phocoenoides dalli ) ; the 

 killer whale ( Orcinus orca ) ; and the humpback whale ( Meqaptera 

 novaeangliae ) . In addition, several other marine mammal species, 

 including the gray whale ( Eschrichtius robustus) and the northern 

 fur seal ( Callorhinus ursinus ) , are found in the Gulf of Alaska. 

 Prince William Sound also is an important breeding area for sea- 

 birds and provides seasonal habitat for migrating shorebirds and 

 waterfowl. It is one of the most valuable fishing grounds in the 

 United States, both for commercial and recreational fisheries. 



At the time of the 24 March oil spill, the Exxon Valdez had 

 just left the Valdez terminal en route to Long Beach, California. 

 The 987-foot-long single-bottom tanker was loaded to a draft of 

 56 feet with 53 million gallons of North Slope crude oil. The 

 collision with Bligh Reef tore open eight of the vessel's 11 

 cargo tanks and three saltwater ballast tanks. Even after the 

 initial 11-million gallon spill, 80 percent of the ship's cargo 

 remained onboard. A critical account of the oil spill and State 

 and Federal efforts to assess and minimize the damage are 



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