When small fish eat these plankton, they also eat the oil. Bigger fish, bears and humans who eat these fish will ingest oil too. Marine animals and birds can eat oil or it can get on their fur and feathers. When oil gets on a bird's feathers, the feathers lose their insulation capability and the bird can't adjust its body temperature and dies. Oil may obstruct the germination and growth of marine plants.
Spills can happen the open seas, close to shores, or in lakes, streams and rivers.
Spills on land can contaminate groundwater or streams. How the spill is cleaned up depends on where it happened. In smaller bodies of water oil does not spread as much and cleanup is easier. Oil floating on the surface can be held away from the shore by booms and cleared with skimmers. Booms are barriers that extend about three feet below the water surface.