Sixteen Years After Deepwater Horizon, Deep Sea Life Shows Few Signs of Recovery

Sixteen years after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, deep-sea life shows little sign of recovery, with populations of octopus, squid, krill, shrimp, and lanternfish declining by at least 60 percent in the years following the disaster. Scientists attribute these declines to oil-related contamination found in deep-sea creatures, which can impair reproduction and development, and note the populations have also lost genetic diversity, potentially limiting their ability to adapt to environmental changes.