Dubbed one of the worst oil spills in international history and despite having curbed it, the 2010 BP Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is continuing to display severe consequences for the environment. Conservationists from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) have pointed out the bleak future of the world’s smallest seahorse, the dwarf seahorse (Hippocampus zosterae).
“The dwarf seahorse (Hippocampus zosterae), found only in waters off the Gulf Coast, now faces a bleak future after its much of its habitat was destroyed by the spill. Scientists are worried that the clean-up process could further diminish dwarf seahorse populations and other marine life,” ZSL said in a news release.
This tiny species of seahorse only reaches up to two inches and is even in the Guinness book of records for being one of the slowest moving fish. It has a top speed of only about five feet per hour (that’s 152 cm per hour). Their slow speed, low reproduction and concentration in just the waters off the Gulf coast are making them easily vulnerable to changes in the environment.
The clean up of the oil spill, which is expected to take years, consists of using chemical dispersants and the burning of the oil. Already exposed to high levels of oil toxins from the spill which destroyed large swaths of the seahorses food-rich habitat, the clean up is threatening to further reduce the already diminished dwarf seahorse population.
BP is burning the oil caught in seagrass mats floating in open water. While most of these seahorses live in the coastal shallows of the Gulf, a significant population of theirs live in these loose mats of vegetation offshore. There are other means of cleaning up the BP mess, they seem to be turning a blind eye to the consequences of their actions. Irreversible damage has already been done with the oil spill and now’s time to cut our losses and salvage whatever we can. These delicate marine species and other marine life have to e considered during this crucial time, to be given the best shot at survival.
*Photo credit: photo by matstc on flickr
