CNN In Depth: Gulf wildlife one year later

By CNN Meteorologist Rob Marciano

One year into this oil disaster, there seems to be more questions than answers when it comes to the vast ecosystem that is the Gulf of Mexico.

Nature is resilient and can recover from most catastrophic events, given enough time. Most scientists believe the Gulf will eventually recover, but when and at what costs?

Since Jan. 1, more than 220 sea turtles and 175 dolphins have washed up dead on gulf shore beaches. Test results confirming a direct link to the BP oil spill won’t be available for months. This is partly because good science takes time, but mostly because this information, along with a slew of other evidence, is being gathered to build a case for litigation against BP.

Dirty water, damaged habitat, and dead animals all are being quantified to bring dollars back to restore the Gulf. Of all the solutions to the countless problems one seems to get the most attention: The Mississippi. Man-made levees and canals have changed the way the river feeds the gulf and its wetlands. Allow the river to “spread the ecological wealth” a bit by opening up the outflow and/or periodically releasing water/nutrients further upriver so the Mississippi Delta can replenish the wetlands that have been disappearing at astonishing rates for decades. Just a thought among many good ideas that may now be possible given the attention and dollars that will be produced from an eventual legal settlement.

Reporting on this disaster during the past year has brought me closer to these incredible creatures than I’d ever imagined. It’s heart breaking to see the fatalities increasing at such alarming rates. Turtle and dolphin deaths this year are 10 to 15 times higher than normal. The Institute for Marine Mammals Studies in Gulfport has been busy testing these animals while also rehabilitating rescued ones during this event.

On this anniversary date, we felt it proper to spend the day at their facility. While here, I got to meet a couple of their resident “retired” dolphins, just 2 more amazing critters I’ve gotten to know on this assignment. See my report below.