Biologists and sea kayakers, though, have a closer view of the beaches and estuaries, and they see a very different state of affairs. Just below the surface oil and tar still saturate the beaches, and many species have failed to recover or return. While salmon and some birds appear to be recovering, loons, seals, orcas, and some ducks are showing little or no improvement ten years later. Still more disturbing, ecologists studying the area say that in some cases the millions of dollars spent on clean up actually caused more harm than help. Steam-cleaning and pressure washing drove the oil deep into the rocky beaches and killed natural bacteria that could have helped break down oil residues.
Birds have yet to return to beaches.
Scientists studying clean-up methods and the effects of the spill have learned a number of important things. To start with, they are reconsidering the effectiveness of human efforts in spill remediation. Natural microorganisms and solar energy were probably more effective overall. It appears that hand-cleaning birds and mammals by hand does relatively little good, since the cleaned animals are likely to die after release. Oil exposure also compromises the immune system in young fish, an effect that could significantly impact long-range stability in the salmon fishing industry.