News

More than a quarter century ago, the Exxon Valdez crashed into a reef that caused the spill of 11 million gallons into Alaska’s Prince William Sound.

You might assume that 26 years is enough time for local marine wildlife to recover—but according to reporters, the local orca whale populations are still struggling to rebound. Both transient and resident populations have been reduced by as much as 75 percent. In fact, the transient population has yet to produce a new calf since the spill. And with the two remaining females too old to reproduce, the pod will soon die off.

This follow up to the spill is part of an upcoming National Geographic documentary that goes past the immediate consequences of such environmental disasters.

“News always goes in and covers the immediate,” says J. J.Kelley, the reporter behind the documentary, “but what about the long-term fallout?”

More information on this fascinating story can be found on the National Geographic website.