Five years after the historic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico caused by the gross negligence of British Petroleum, wildlife in the Gulf is still suffering the consequences. The National Wildlife Foundation details the effects in its report,Five Years and Counting. Among the findings:- dolphins continue to die from disease at four times the historic rate;
- Kemp's ridley sea turtle were increasing in population, but that trend ended in 2010. Now there are a declining number of nests;
- exposure to oil and dispersant causes abnormal development in fish [photo];
- computer modeling estimates 12% of brown pelicans died and 32% of laughing gulls died as a result of the spill;
- oil and dispersant compounds have been found in the eggs of white pelicans nesting in Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois;
- spotted seatrout spawned less frequently in 2011 in Louisiana and Mississippi;
- red snapper numbers are at the lowest levels in the eastern Gulf since 1994;
- sperm whales spend less time foraging near the leaking wellhead;
- oil has been found covering the deep sea bed in a 1200 mile area around the abandoned Macondo well.
BP seems to be more interested in attacking scientists who study and report the effects of its lack of responsibility according to NWF's scientist in charge of Gulf restoration efforts. Ryan Fikes said, "it's time for BP to quit stalling so we can restore the Gulf." Federal District Court in New Orleans has yet to decide the final amount of the fine BP must pay. There are 47 projects identified by NWF that could recieve some of the fines under the RESTORE act passed in 2012.