cleanup efforts were initiated within a few weeks of the spill and they continued at reduced levels for the next three years. Approximately 14% of the spilled oil was recovered by cleanup crews (Newsweek, p.50). As a result of these efforts and natural weathering, little oil from the spill remained in the affected area by 1992. However, according to the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration some oil residues are still found under the ocean surface in areas sheltered from wind and waves. Yet, these residues are highly weathered and the toxicity is reduced to levels tolerable by organisms in the water (7). Nonetheless, the magnitude and timing of the Exxon Valdez oil spill raised immediate concerns about possible effects on marine fish and wildlife and prospects that these effects might be long lasting. Professors John Wiens and David Page spent many years studying theses effects of the oil spill and they presented their findings at the International Oil Spill Conference in Seattle, March 8-11, 1999. Their findings contain the most recent results of the ongoing studies in Prince William Sound. Through extensive work with three different groups of animals affected by the spill, they have exhibited a remarkable recovery by the ecosystem of Prince William Sound (Wiens, Page et al.). The first species the scientists studied is pink salmon; a fish of highly significant economic value. The fact that the salmon enter into the streams of Prince William Sound from mid July through September played a large role in their survival. Since the spill occurred in March, the streams had time to for fresh water to flow into the area. By the time the salmon arrived in the middle part of 1989, the levels of oil in the water were 10 to 1000 times less than amounts lethal to salmon. However, the most conclusive measure of the spill's affect on pink salmon is the population response over the years since the spill occurred. Remark...
