TROUBLE ON OILED WATERS - LESSONS FROM THE EXXON-VALDEZ OIL-SPILL

The Exxon Valdez oil spill was the largest in US maritime history. We review post-spill research and set it in its legal context. The Exxon Corporation, obviously responsible for the spill, focused on restorati on, whereas the Trustees, a coalition of state and federal entities, f ocused on damage and its assessment. Despite billions of dollars expen ded, little new understanding was gained about the recovery dynamics o f a high latitude marine ecosystem subject to an anthropogenic pulse p erturbation. We discuss a variety of case studies that highlight the l imitations to and shortcomings of the research effort. Given that more spills are inevitable, we recommend that future studies address spati al patterns in the intertidal, and focus on the abundances of long-liv ed species and on organisms that preserve a chronological record of gr owth. Oil spills, while tragic, represent opportunities to gain insigh t into the dynamics of marine ecosystems and should not be wasted.