One month to the day after commemorating the 5-year anniversary of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster, yet another study has been released highlighting the significant injury to bottlenose dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico.

Earlier today, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) published new results pointing to dolphin injury from the oil disaster. Since 2010, there has been an unusually high number of dolphin deaths in the northern Gulf, the most severe dolphin die-off ever recorded in the region. Scientists have conducted autopsies on dead dolphins to try and understand why they are dying. As a result, NOAA concluded “The timing, location, and nature of the detected lesions support that contaminants from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill caused these lesions and contributed to the high numbers of dolphin deaths within this oil spill’s footprint.”

The following is a statement from Kara Lankford, Associate Director of Ocean Conservancy’s Gulf Restoration Program:

“The new study released by NOAA should remind us that the BP oil disaster will have a continued impact on the Gulf of Mexico and the species who call it home. The question remains to what extent? We must remain vigilant and monitor the Gulf ecosystem in order to guide restoration where it is most needed and be able to track recovery. These new findings should be a resounding reminder to our Gulf leaders that restoration dollars should be spent on restoring the invaluable natural resources of the Gulf of Mexico.”

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