Deep Water Horizon Spill 15 years after disaster

GULFPORT, Miss (WXXV) –

We are still recovering from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill that happened 15 years ago, devastating our seafood industry and marine life here on the coast. Eleven people were tragically killed in the rig explosion that caused one of the most damaging environmental catastrophes the United States has ever seen, spewing 134 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico in a span of 87 days. Despite being the most prolific environmental catastrophe to date, statistics show that the opening of the 2019 bonnet Carre spillway killed off more marine life than the oil spill.

WXXV caught up with Dr. Moby Solangi, the president and director of the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport to discuss the lasting effects of the oil spill.

Dr. Solangi says, “marine mammals are a good biological indicator because they are at the top of the food chain. So if they are doing well then that means that the ecosystem is doing well. So, during the bp oil spill we had animals that died. But during 2019 when the Bonnet Carre spillway opened, we had more animals die in 40 years in 2019 during the Bonnet Carre spillway opening, than during the bp oil spill. We had about 153 dolphins that died in 2019 compared to 91 dolphins during the bp oil spill. Same thing with turtles we had close to 300 that died.”

The president and director also shares the challenges of substances foreign to our Mississippi sound impacting our marine life.

Dr. Solangi says, “what happens is when you have non-indigenous water come in and change the environment it killed all the oysters, it killed shrimp, it caused toxic algae, it created like a dead zone. This is an important factor for Mississippi. We have no voice in what happens to the management of the Mississippi river. And so, when you divert water into our area and our economy suffers, our marine life suffers, our tourism suffers, we need to do something.”    Dr. Solangi offers one solution that will reduce foreign waters overtaking our sound.

Dr. Solangi says,  “there’s another spillway called Morganza which supposed to protect Baton Rouge. But in 50 years it has never opened. So, if they opened that there will be less water coming through the Bonnet Carre Spillway.”