Alaskan Oil Spill Cleanup Continues
Aleutian Islands

On December 8, 2004, a Malaysian freight ship broke in two off the coast of Unalaska Island.

Most of the ship’s 442,000 gallons of fuel oil has leaked into the rough Bering Sea and coated nearby shores.

Commercial fishing has been banned in the area, which is also a protected refuge for otters, sea lions, and seabirds.

So far, crews have collected over 600 dead birds and five dead otters.

Cleanup is expected to persist for months.

Image Credits:
USFWS/Alaska
Nuka Research & Planning Group

Satellite Data:
NASA