Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida,
Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina,
Virginia, Maryland, New York, Connecticut,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine,
Oregon, Washington

United in Conservation

Message from Eric C. Schwaab
Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries
April 30, 2010

We are all watching the unfolding oil spill incident occurring in the Gulf of Mexico and are deeply concerned over the anticipated impacts this spill can have on marine life and the economies which rely on them. I want to give you a brief summary of NOAA’s and Fisheries' full engagement in the response process and provide you with a link to a web page NOAA has established through its Office of Response and Restoration where you can be kept informed of daily events.

As you know, on April 20th there was an explosion that resulted in a fire on the Deepwater Horizon, a mobile offshore drilling unit in the Gulf of Mexico ~50 miles offshore Louisiana. The rig burned for hours and then sank. Eleven out of 126 people remain unaccounted for. It was
recenlty discovered that there are multiple leaks at a depth of 5,000 feet.

So far, attempts to use remotely operated vehicles to close valves and stop the leaks have been unsuccessful. Construction has begun on a collection dome that will be deployed to the sea floor to collect and funnel oil as it escapes, a method never tried at this depth before. The first rig to be used for drilling a relief or cut-off well has arrived and more are planned. A relief well would take several months to complete.

NOAA has fully mobilized all of its offices. Our experts are involved in predicting where the oil is going and how the weather and sea will affect the oil and cleanup efforts. NOAA experts are also advising the Coast Guard on cleanup options, as well as monitoring and assessing
damage to fish, shellfish, marine mammals, sea turtles, as well as critical and essential fish habitat.

NOAA is posting daily updates at www.noaa.gov. Click on the "NOAA Assists Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Efforts" link which will take you to the NOAA Office of Response and Restoration page at
http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/deepwaterhorizon. I would encourage you to bookmark this page as a key resource of information.