Thirteen
years after the spill, it is clear that many species injured by the
spill have not fully recovered.
The
"Status of Injured Resources and Services" in the 2001 EVOS Trustee
Council Status Report lists only two injured species as recovered
- bald eagles and river otters. Listed as not recovering are
loons, three species of cormorants, harbor seals, killer whales, and
pigeon guillemots; listed as recovering (not recovered) are black
oystercatchers, murres, marbled murrelets, mussels, herring, pink salmon,
red salmon, sea otter, intertidal habitat, subtidal habitat, and archeological
sites.
Resource
services listed as having not recovered include subsistence,
passive uses, recreation and tourism, and commercial fishing. In fact,
some scientists have recently suggested that the Prince William Sound
ecosystem may never recover to pre-spill conditions.