The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and U.S. Department of the Interior/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (DOI/FWS) ("Trustees") released a Revised Draft NORTH CAPE Oil Spill Restoration Plan on April 5, 1999. This plan documents the injuries caused by the January 19, 1996, oil spill and revises projects proposed in the draft plan published on September 15, 1998.

The Trustees determined that in the marine environment, 9 million lobsters were killed by the spill, as well as 150 million surf clams, 4.2 million fish, and over half a million kilograms of marine biomass such as worms, crabs, and mussels. In the salt ponds, 6.5 million worms and other amphipods, more than one million crabs, shrimp, clams and oysters, and another half-million fish were killed. Birds were also harmed by the spill; 2,300 marine birds were killed, including 402 loons. In addition, there were five to ten fewer piping plover chicks hatched at Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge.

A previously v-notched lobster is recaptured carrying eggs.

To restore these injuries the Trustees proposed the following projects:

1. Adult lobster restocking and protection project—The Trustees proposed to purchase, "v-notch," and release 1.248 million adult female lobsters into Block Island Sound over a 5-year period. Lobster harvesters are prohibited from possessing v-notched lobsters. "V-notching" refers to the practice of cutting a small v-shaped notch in the lobster's tail, thereby protecting that lobster from harvest until the v-notch has filled back in with subsequent molts. The v-notch gives the lobsters at least one more opportunity to reproduce and contribute eggs to the population. The Trustees calculated that the 1.248 million v-notched lobsters will produce enough eggs to eventually replace the 9 million lobsters that were killed by the spill. The final lobster was notched in early summer of 2006. Throughout the restoration effort, a monitoring program was implemented to document the success of the project.

Bay scallops are one of three species being restored in Rhode Island salt ponds by the North Cape Shellfish Restoration Program.

2. Shellfish restoration—Multiple projects and target species were selected, including restoring bay scallop (Argopecten irradians) and eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) and enhancing northern quahog (Mercenaria mercenaria) populations in Rhode Island's South County coastal ponds and Narragansett Bay. Program goals are to restore lost shellfish biomass (due to direct loss and foregone reproduction) and lost ecological services provided by bivalves such as food for other biota, habitat structure, and water column filtering.

3. Water quality improvement through land acquisition—The Trustees are proposing to purchase sufficient land adjacent to the salt ponds to prevent the development of 38 new houses. Acquiring these lands will prevent future additional nitrogen loadings to the ponds from these homes via septic tank discharges and other sources thereby preventing additional degradation of water quality and future losses of eelgrass beds and their associated animal communities.

4. Piping plover protection—The Trustees propose a five year project to protect nesting sites on South County and Block Island beaches. This project will be designed to minimize predation and human disturbance on piping plover nesting pairs and chicks through protection of nest sites.

5. Loon habitat protection—The Trustees are proposing to purchase and protect loon nesting habitat in northern New England along lake shoreline that is threatened with development. The Trustees have calculated that 33 nesting pairs and their associated nesting sites need to be protected to fully restore the loss. The Trustees have identified potential acquisition sites along lake shoreline in Northern New England. The Trustees would purchase development rights for a 500- to 1,000-foot buffer zone around nesting territories within a 25 mile stretch of lake shoreline, and purchase easement rights for a 500-foot buffer zone along a portion of 30 miles of privately-owned shoreline.

6. Marine Bird habitat protection—The Trustees are proposing to purchase and protect island acreage in the State of Maine to prevent future losses of breeding eider populations due to development. The trustees have calculated that 315 nesting eider pairs and their nest sites need to be protected to fully restore the loss of marine birds. While eider nesting densities vary from island to island and the exact acreage necessary to be protected will depend on site specific information, the Trustees have estimated that approximately 31 acres of nesting habitat will need to be acquired.

7. Recreational Fishing Enhancement—The Trustees are proposing two projects:

Anadromous Fish Run Restoration—fish passage improvements will be implemented on two rivers which flow into the coastal salt ponds to enhance populations of river herring to compensate for injuries to recreational fishing. Possible sites for improvements include Factory Brook, Cross Mills Dam, and Rum Pond/Smelt Brook.

Shore Access—Improving access to the shore for recreational anglers at Matunuck Point by reconstructing a public stairway and walkway down a bluff to the shore.