How long before

30 years?! I was thinking (hoping) maybe two.

I don't think anyone knows for sure, but I would think alot of it would degrade and emulsify into smaller particles and surface on the beach as balls...how long that would happen who knows....

Four months

Colburn knows from personal experience about the far-reaching impacts of an oil disaster. The Alaskan captain has witnessed the ongoing effects of the Exxon Valdez spill, which dumped 11 million gallons of oil along 1,300 miles of beaches in the Prince William Sound.

"On the surface, it looks like [the Sound] has recovered, but 21 years later, there's still oil all over the Sound, just six inches below the surface. The herring population has never really come back.

"But the Prince William Sound is an enclosed area. They were able to contain a lot of the oil spill, to secure it. It doesn't compare to what's happening in the Gulf. The water is more docile and the oil is spreading over a much wider area. It's massive," said Colburn.

Colburn also offered a warning and some advice for Gulf fishermen. During the Valdez spill, fishing crews were enlisted to help with the clean-up and were paid well -- more than they'd make fishing, said Colburn.

"As soon as the clean-up was over, that revenue stream disappeared and the fisheries were closed indefinitely, so there was no fishing to replace that revenue," said Colburn. "Get your crews out there and try to help with the clean-up, but don't go out and buy a new boat."

The full impact of the oil disaster will be felt for years, and will reach far beyond the fishermen, said Colburn.

"You've got a huge recreational fishing economy down there. How many millions of gallons of fuel won't be bought? How much bait won't be sold at tackle shops? How many cases of beer from the convenience stores won't be consumed? It's going to trickle down, and it's going to hurt for a while," said Colburn.

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Well in Alaska the oil is still in the sound, the beaches are clean but the fishing is dead.

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I think the situation in Kuwait would probably be a better comparison. The climate is more similar.
Kuwait Oil Spill

quote:

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Well in Alaska the oil is still in the sound, the beaches are clean but the fishing is dead.

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Try washing oil off you hands in 85 degree water then try doing it with 35 degree water. The oil in the warm shallow water, where most aquatic life is, will be almost gone in two to three years with traces for five to 10 years.

Oil breaks down much easier in warm water and the bacteria that breaks it down thrive better in warm water.

see my posts with the pics above, thats what im getting at