To clean up the spill BP used Corexit, which is extremely dangerous and highly toxic. It dispersed the oil in the ocean so people wouldn't see it (and then people wouldn't talk about it). However, because of its toxicity it left a huge environmental impact effecting much of the marine life.
For example, coral colonies were massively effected by the Corexit more than the oil itself. "Studies have shown that the dispersants and dispersed oil droplets are significantly more toxic to the coral than the crude oil itself, the scientists report. The dispersants caused “significant harm,” including rapid, widespread death and delay in growth rates, to the coral colonies" (connect-green.com).
Moreover, birds and other animals that live ashore were effected. The Brown Pelican, Louisiana's state bird "is threatened too as it’s nesting areas and food has been contaminated after having made a comeback in the last couple of years after the hurricanes Katrina and Rita wreaked havoc on their environment" (connect-green.com).
Thirdly, ocean dwellers such as sperm whales and plankton were massively effected as well. Plankton are at the bottom of the food chain/web and if they are effected so is the rest of the ecosystem. This also creates another problem for birds because they can ingest toxins from eating fish and other marine animals.
One majorly impacted species is the Giant Atlantic Blue Fin Tuna which has been overfished for quite some time. "The Gulf of Mexico is where the Blue Fin comes to spawn; nurseries of the beautiful fish call the gulf its home...The spawning grounds of many of these marine organisms are now being drenched in oil, the effects of which won’t be known for some time" (connect-green.com).
This is a list of all the endangered species that live in the Gulf of Mexico that have been majorly affected by the use of Corexit (connect-green.com).
Work Cited
http://www.connect-green.com/environmental-impact-of-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill/
