Deepwater Horizon's Deep-Sea Life Still Hasn't Recovered After 16 Years
Sixteen Years After Deepwater Horizon, Deep Sea Life Shows Few Signs of Recovery
A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that populations of octopus, squid, krill, shrimp, and lanternfish in the Gulf of Mexico fell by at least 60 percent in the years after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill, which released more than 4 million barrels of oil. Acoustic surveys and thousands of netted samples across the Gulf show little sign of recovery, and researchers call the spill the most parsimonious explanation.
The study described the losses as "the fastest and most severe" decline of animal life in the ocean layer that extends from about 600 feet deep to more than two miles down.