- Deep-water marine populations in the Gulf of Mexico plummeted by around 60 per cent following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, with little evidence of recovery over a decade later.
- A study published in PNAS revealed that between 2011 and 2015, fish numbers dropped by 63.5 per cent, crustaceans by 62 per cent, and larger creatures such as squid and octopuses by 59.7 per cent.
- Lead author Tracey Sutton stated that natural variables like temperature and oxygen supply were ruled out, leaving the oil spill and chemical dispersants as the logical cause of the collapse.
- Researchers found that surviving animals passed absorbed pollutants to their offspring, leading to compromised subsequent generations and reduced genetic diversity.
- Marine scientists highlighted that the lasting ecological damage serves as a critical warning against deep-sea mining and expanded deep-water oil drilling.
IN FULL
Scientists uncover devastating damage to marine life 16 years after BP oil disaster
