At a cafe on Main Street, Sylvia Lange and Michelle Hahn O'Leary have shed their parkas and sat down to stay a while. Some tourists came to town this summer and they'd been on a cruise ship. It's not an event that took place 10 years ago but an event that's been going on for 10 years. In their years of fishing these women learned every nuance of life in the sound before the spill. And they know the official story of the Sound today.
Scientists say most of the oil is gone.
Two key species, bald eagles and river otters, are considered to be fully recovered. A number of others are showing signs of improvement, including pink and red salmon, herring, clams, and murres. Researchers say still others, like loons, harbor seals, and killer whales, haven't bounced back at all. But these women say they don't need scientists to tell them what's going on. They just have to get on their boats.