USA Today is one of several news outlets reporting that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has started to ooze ashore, threatening all kinds of birds, fish, and other wildlife. The severity of the spill is emphasized by David Kennedy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in USA Today's article:
"I am frightened. This is a very, very big thing. And the efforts that are going to be required to do anything about it, especially if it continues on, are just mind-boggling."
Susan Kaderka, regional executive director for the National Wildlife Federation, says that the spill is going to be a big problem for marine mammals such as dolphins, whales, and sea turtles. This is because they all have to come up to the surface to breathe. In addition, some of the birds most affected include ducks, geese, as well as hundreds of species of migrating songbirds, which use the ecosystem as part of their journey on their way back from South America. Shorebirds such as cranes, gulls, and the brown pelican are also at risk.
The timing of the spill is incredibly unfortunate, according to Kaderka, since many species of fish are spawning and birds are nesting.
:o :(
Source:
USA Today. Gulf oil spill a huge catastrophe for wildlife, fisheries. April 30th, 2010.
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