Oil in the Ocean

Major oil spills, such as the Prestige accident off the coast of Spain, pose serious threats to birdlife, fisheries, and marine ecosystems. These spills and accidents during the extraction and transportation of oil rightly get a great deal of publicity. Yet they have historically accounted for a comparatively small percentage of overall oil pollution in the world's oceans; surface runoff and recreational watercraft are responsible for much more oil that ends up in marine environments.

Oil in the Ocean