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Exactly 20 years ago, just after midnight on March 24, the massive oil tanker Exxon Valdez strayed outside normal shipping lanes and struck a reef in Alaska’s Prince William Sound, resulting in one of the worst oil spills in history. Approximately 40 million litres of crude oil dispersed over an area of about 28,000 square kilometres, covering some 2,000 km of pristine coastline and killing hundreds of thousands of birds, fish and marine mammals. SFU wildlife scientist Daniel Esler coauthored a paper on the Exxon Valdez spill’s legacy in the journal Science in 2004 and he can comment on its enduring impact. He says the damage to the marine ecosystem was more extensive and lasted longer than anyone had previously predicted.

Dan Esler, Centre for Wildlife Ecology, SFU; 604.940.4652, desler@sfu.ca

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