The grounding of the oil tanker '' Exxon Valdez '' in Prince William Sound on March 24 , 1989 , produced extensive contamination of the Katmai coastline . By early April , oil had reached Kenai Fjords National Park . Oil reached Cape Douglas in Katmai on April 26 and points southwards in the following week . In early May , a variety of dredges and skimmer vessels were working in the Shelikof Strait , but 90 % of the Katmai coastline was oiled . The worst-hit areas were Cape Chiniak and Chiniak Lagoon , Hallo Bay Beach and its lagoon , Cape Gull and Kaflia Bay , and Cape Douglas . Casualties in birds alone were estimated at 8,400 dead birds . Work resumed in 1990 , with smaller efforts in 1991 to catch the last oil
extensive contamination
Exxon Valdez oil spill
Katmai National Park and Preserve