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10 Species 10 years Later A Look at Gulf Restoration After the Deepwater Horizon Disaster On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, killing 11 men and unleashing a torrent of oil and natural gas from BP’s Macondo wellhead into the Gulf of Mexico. By the time the well was capped 87 days later, an estimated 200 million gallons of crude oil and four million pounds of gas had escaped into the Gulf. A decade later, the impacts of this disaster are still being felt in the Gulf. Serious, ongoing harm to many wildlife and habitats has been documented — with some species now at greater risk of extinction than before. An ecosystem-level injury” and an unprecedented restoration effort THE OFFICIAL ASSESSMENT of the ecological damage from the oil spill — the Final Programmatic Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan and Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement — describes the disaster as an ecosystem-level injury to the northern Gulf of Mexico.” This document, published in 2016, remains the most comprehensive summary of impacts to wildlife and their habitats, as it was based on hundreds of original studies. The official estimates of harm were based on the best science available at the time, but new information is still coming to light. For example, a University of Miami study published in 2019 found that the footprint of the oil was actually 30 percent larger than previously thought — and that toxic concentrations of oil reached places, such as the Upper Texas Coast and the West Florida Shelf, not previously understood to have been affected. This report, 10 Species, 10 Years Later , summarizes the best information available about the wildlife featured. We selected these species for many reasons: They represent different types of affected wildlife, they use a diversity of ecosystems and they offer an opportunity to discuss the wide scope of restoration efforts that are now underway. The research and restoration efforts described in this report were largely funded out of the criminal and civil penalties paid by BP and the other companies responsible for the oil spill. In total, these penalties have made more than $16 billion available for restoring the Gulf of Mexico — an ongoing effort that will ultimately be the largest, most comprehensive ecosystem restoration effort in our nation’s history. 10 Species Policies to protect the Gulf View Press Kit View PDF Report 1 Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle The Kemp’s ridley is the smallest sea turtle in the world and it nests exclusively on Gulf beaches, largely in one area of Mexico. In the 1960s, the Kemp’s ridley was considered at risk of imminent extinction due to the uncontrolled harvest of eggs and accidental deaths in shrimp trawls in both Mexican and American waters. A collaborative, bi-national conservation effort focused on protecting eggs on nesting beaches and the use of turtle excluder devices on shrimp trawlers, resulted in a significant rebound — with the number of nests increasing an average of 19 percent annually through 2009. Sadly, the steady nesting increases ended in 2010, the year the Deepwater Horizon exploded. The damage assessment estimated the oil killed as many as 20 percent of the female Kemp’s ridley turtles that nest annually. One small study found that over half the Kemp’s ridley turtles tested from 2010 to 2012 had signs of exposure to oil. Nesting in the years after the spill has fluctuated significantly. Some scientists are speculating that that long-standing problems, such as a reduction in food sources — could be a factor alongside the oil disaster. 10 Years Later Multifaceted, bi-national recovery efforts Deepwater Horizon funds are being used for a multi-faceted, multi-partner effort to help Kemp’s ridley sea turtles. Funds are being used to monitor nesting beaches in Texas and Mexico and to protect a 4,800-acre nesting beach in Texas from development. This project has also enhanced the sea turtle stranding network, giving organizations additional capacity to find and assist injured or cold-stunned sea turtles. Another aspect of the project increases the use of turtle-excluder devices on shrimp trawls in Texas and federal waters. In addition, other Deepwater-Horizon-funded projects aimed at restoring marshes, rebuilding oyster reefs, and protecting important coastal habitats could boost populations of blue crabs and other food sources for the Kemp’s ridley. SOURCES 2 Coastal Bottlenose Dolphin The Deepwater Horizon disaster was the most significant factor behind the largest and longest lasting recorded dolphin die-off in the Gulf of Mexico. Between 2010 and 2014, more than 1,000 dolphin carcasses were found in the oiled areas of the northern Gulf. Research done in 2018 found that many dolphins in oiled areas remained very ill — 55 percent had worsening lung disease; 43 percent exhibited abnormal stress responses, 25 percent were underweight, and 19 percent were anemic. Successful births in the heavily oiled areas remain less than a quarter of normal levels. Dolphins born after 2010 are not as sick as those that were exposed directly to oil, but they are not as healthy as dolphins born in unoiled areas. Scientists estimate it could take affected dolphins populations decades to recover. 10 Years Later A long road to recovery Restoration efforts have greatly increased state and local capacity to find stranded marine mammals and to rehabilitate sick and injured dolphins. Other funds are exploring ways to reduce collisions with boats and to lessen the noise from shipping and oil and gas activities. Much of the oil came ashore near the Mississippi River Delta, home to a large population of bottlenose dolphins, which feed on the delta’s abundant fish and shellfish. However, the wetlands and marshes that underpin the delta’s ecosystem are eroding rapidly. In total, 2,000 square miles have been lost over the last 90 years, a process that was sped up by the oil. If the collapse of coastal marshes continues at its current pace, the entire ecologically-rich Mississippi River Delta system could be gone within decades. Restoration of these marshes at sufficient scale can only be accomplished by harnessing the river’s natural capacity to build new delta marshes through diverting water and sediment. There are concerns about how diversion projects could impact already-stressed dolphin populations. Federal and state restoration planners are working to find the most effective ways to minimize and mitigate any impacts to dolphins while restoring the delta ecosystem as a whole. SOURCES 3 Laughing Gull The high-pitched cry of laughing gulls is as much a part of the soundscape of Gulf Coast beaches as the sound of crashing waves. Laughing gulls breed in barrier island colonies, often by the thousands, building their nests on the ground, where the hatchlings spend a month or more before taking their first flight. This nesting behavior meant many laughing gulls were exposed to oil as it came to shore. One study estimated that 32 percent of the laughing gulls in the northern Gulf died as a result of the spill. The National Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count event found roughly 60 percent reductions in laughing gull numbers from 2010 through 2013. Laughing gulls that did survive likely experienced sub-lethal impacts to their health. The damage assessment noted that the loss of birds as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster was so large the Trustees expected there would be meaningful effects on food webs of the northern Gulf of Mexico.” In fact, one analysis of menhaden fish found that the loss of predators, including laughing gulls, could explain the unexpected increase in the populations of juvenile menhaden in 2010. 10 Years Later Louisiana outer coast barrier island restoration The beaches, dunes and back-barrier marshes of Louisiana’s barrier islands were heavily oiled during the spill. To address the damages to barrier island habitat and injuries to laughing gulls...