Gulf Oil Spill: Effects on Wildlife Will Extend Throughout North America, Says US Fish and Wildlife Service Director Rowan Gould

US Fish and Wildlife director Rowan Gould, who has assessed the oil spill damage to national wildlife refuges through the gulf states, predicts that marshland fouling will effect bird populations and migratory species' health for the next several years if not decades.

Home to the densest population of overwintering migratory birds in the continental US, the marshlands of the gulf provide forage, protection and overwinter nesting grounds for numerous species whose flocks number in the millions. Dependent upon the gulf's nutrient-rich marshes, baitfish and open spaces for sustenance, birds returning to the gulf this winter will find vastly reduced grasslands, fouled water, and extensive die-offs of the biomass they depend upon for food.

The damage to migratory wildlife will not be limited to inland and upland creatures. Numerous highly migratory pelagic fishes like bluefin and yellowfin tuna, which spawn in the gulf, will likewise be affected by the vast submerged plumes of spilled oil confirmed last week by the Coast Guard.