The Gulf Oil Catastrophe
The catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is taking a huge toll on people and wildlife. The immediate impacts are horrific and the harmful effects are expected to linger for decades.
We're doing all we can to help. Our wildlife experts are ready to head to the Gulf and assist when called upon. Colleagues at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute are helping track the spread of oil. Our Seafood Watch team is monitoring the status of Gulf fisheries, and will update our recommendations as new information warrants. We're committed to continuing our decade-long research on Atlantic bluefin tuna, a threatened species affected by the spill.
The tragic events unfolding in the Gulf are a disaster, but we have an opportunity now to do the right thing for the oceans. We're actively supporting a coordinated national policy so federal agencies will manage the oceans as interconnected living systems. And we're working to establish marine protected areas where wildlife can recover and repopulate after a catastrophe. It's the best way to restore the oceans' health, and sustain their immeasurable value to humanity for generations to come.
Seafood & the Spill
The spill will affect many popular commercial seafood species and the people who depend on them for a living: wild shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic; snappers caught in the same waters; wild Eastern oysters; groupers; U.S. farmed oysters; and U.S. farmed shrimp. You can support beleaguered fishing communities when you select Seafood Watch Best Choices and Good Alternatives from the Gulf.
 Read what the Aquarium's Executive Director, Julie Packard, has to say about ocean issues and the oil spill.
The work of our Tuna Research and Conservation Center highlights the risks the spill poses for threatened Atlantic bluefin tuna.
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