Oil Spills

February 24, 2022

Question: Which species of wildlife are most impacted by oil spills?

Answer: Many wildlife species, as well as plants and other natural resources, can be impacted by oil spills. However, seabirds and sea otters are most often impacted.

For seabirds, this is because: 1) There are comparatively more seabirds in California than other species at risk, such as marine mammals; 2) Seabirds spend a lot of time floating at the surface of the water, where most of the oil is; and 3) The microscopic structure of feathers that keeps birds waterproof is damaged, leading quickly to hypothermia.

Sea otters are vulnerable to oil spills because they spend most of their time on the surface of the water and use their dense fur (with a microscopic structure similar in some ways to feathers) to keep warm.

CDFW’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) is the state’s public trustee in protecting, managing and restoring California’s wildlife and habitat after an oil spill. OSPR works to protect and preserve 3,400 miles of shoreline and 7,700 square miles of state waters from petroleum substances. When a spill occurs, OSPR works with partner agencies and deploys a team of wildlife officers, scientists and oil spill prevention specialists to manage the state’s response.