The northern Washington coast, the most heavily affected area, has immense
biological, cultural and aesthetic importance and is now included within the
(SRD) Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (OCNMS), a highly productive and
nearly pristine coastal environment of great scenic beauty. Most of the
affected area is included within the Olympic National Park, several wildlife
refuges, and the reservations of the Makah Indian Tribe, the Quillieute Indian
Tribe, the Hoh Indian Tribe and the Quinalt Indian Tribe. The affected coastal
waters are an extremely important area of bird life; the seabird colonies of
Washington's outer coast are among the largest in the continental United
States.
The most immediately apparent injury from the spill was its impact on seabirds.
A total of 4,300 dead birds were collected during the spill, including 643
which died at rehabilitation centers. Of this number, approximately 73% were
common murres, a bird whose population was already substantially depressed from
historic levels. The dead birds also included 45 marbled murrelets, a listed
threatened species. A limited mark-recapture study conducted shortly after the
spill indicated that the total mortalities may have been as much as 10-20 times
the number of recovered birds. The affected area was closed for 108 days by the
Indian Health Service of the Indian subsistence shellfish fishery.
