Research, Monitoring, and Restoration
The Leap in Knowledge and Why It Matters
In 1991, the Trustee Council was formed to restore Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska to the "healthy, productive, world-renowned ecosystem" that existed before the spill. The Trustee Council recognized that there was little direct intervention that could be done, such as rearing and releasing seabirds. In an effort to protect habitat important to injured species, they developed a habitat protection program that purchased lands or established conservation easements. Recognizing that the sea cannot be protected through acquisitions, another strategy for long-term protection was adopted, using research and monitoring to increase knowledge of the injured species. The resulting knowledge was used to develop tools to support sound management decisions for the health of those populations and the people who depend on them.
Since the Exxon Valdez settlement in 1991, hundreds of peer-reviewed research, monitoring, and general restoration projects have been completed. The magnitude of the restoration program has resulted in a leap in knowledge about the marine environment. It has established baseline information for many species that was not available before the spill as well as significant improvements in the tools that fish and wildlife managers use to evaluate the populations of injured species.
This gain in scientific knowledge and practical management tools is of increasing value in light of the accelerated effects of climate change in Alaska. Specifically, the additional knowledge gained through these projects assists in detecting and tracking vital oceanographic and atmospheric changes, and has greatly contributed to the development of adaptive management strategies and tools to deal with this rapidly changing marine ecosystem.