Statement from Aquarium Conservation Partnership on Oil Spill

Today, as oil from a pipeline connected to an offshore oil platform continues to wash onto southern California beaches and damage ocean wildlife and ecosystems, we are painfully reminded of the unacceptable price we pay for offshore oil and gas development.

For decades, oil spills have devastated our coastlines, our wildlife, and our economies. From the Santa Barbara Channel blowout in California, to the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska, the damage has been profound -- and long-lasting.

This latest spill has released 144,000 gallons of oil along some of Southern California’s most iconic beaches, leaving oiled seabirds and closed fisheries and beaches in its wake. Its full impact is yet to be understood. This is, regrettably, further evidence of how destructive offshore oil and gas can be and underscores the urgent necessity of a transition to a responsible renewable energy future.

As the nation’s leading aquariums committed to ocean and freshwater conservation, we care deeply about the health of our ocean and our coastal communities. That is why we are opposed to any new federal leasing for offshore oil and gas exploration and development. We urge policy makers to take immediate action to safeguard all that is at stake.

Signed by: 
Shedd Aquarium 
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium 
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium 
Georgia Aquarium 
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Mystic Aquarium 
National Aquarium 
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium 
Oregon Coast Aquarium 
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium 
Seattle Aquarium 
Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center