What damage did the Exxon Valdez oil spill do?

In 1989, following the Exxon Valdez disaster, 357 live sea otters were captured and transported to rehabilitation facilities; nearly 900 dead otters were also collected. By August 1989, 222 otters (or 18% of the total number picked up) had survived the spill and finally recovered. The percentage that were successfully rehabilitated was lower than 18% because only one fifth of the otters that died immediately (Wade et al., 1994). However, sea otters in California, Oregon, and Washington were listed as threatened species in 1989.

13% of harbor seals, 28% of sea otters, and 100,000–600,000 seabirds perished as a result of the oil spill, which resulted in 11 million gallons (almost 42 million liters) entering Prince William Sound, Alaska, following the accident. Only 20% of the oil evaporated, with the majority remaining on the shoreline (Botkin and Keller, 2003).

Citations:

Editors Wade, N., Dean, C., and Dicke, W. A. (1994) "The New York Times. Book of Science Literacy, Volume 2. The Environment from your Backyard to the Ocean Floor". Times Books, Random House, New York, NY, USA.

John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, NY, USA, published "Environmental Science" (4th edition) in 2003 by D. B. Botkin and E. A. Keller.

The Exxon Valdez oil spill caused extensive damage to the environment, including the death of thousands of seabirds, marine mammals, and fish. It contaminated approximately 1,300 miles of coastline, causing long-term ecological harm to the affected areas. The spill also disrupted local economies that relied on fishing and tourism, leading to financial losses for many communities. Additionally, the incident had significant psychological effects on the people living in the affected regions.