NOAA has worked with teams of state, tribal, and Federal
trustees to generate more than $300 million since 1990 for
restoration projects. This money has been used to improve
wetlands, restore bird and other wildlife populations, create
reefs for fish and lobster habitats, create and improve fishing
access sites, and restore salmon streams. While oil and
hazardous substance releases can harm natural resources in a
number of ways—the full impacts may not be readily apparent. The
most immediate and visible impacts are typically oiled beaches
and dead organisms—such as fish, lobsters, birds, wetland
plants, and seagrasses. But other impacts may require time and
study to fully assess. For example, nurseries for fish or
nesting sites for birds and turtles may be destroyed, and birds
and other wildlife may become ill from eating contaminated food.
Some impacts may not show up for weeks, months, or even years
and are challenging to assess. Wetlands may slowly be destroyed
several months after an incident, coral reefs