Focused research on oil pollution toxicity to fish began in earnest in 1989 , after the '' Exxon Valdez '' tanker struck a reef in Prince William Sound , Alaska and spilled approximately 11 million gallons of crude oil into the surrounding water . At the time , the Exxon Valdez oil spill was the largest in the history of the United States . There were many adverse ecological impacts of the spill including the loss of the loss of billions of Pacific herring and pink salmon eggs . Pacific herring were just beginning to spawn in late March when the spill occurred , resulting in nearly half of the populations eggs being exposed to crude oil . Pacific herring spawn in the intertidal and subtidal zones , making the vulnerable eggs easily exposed to pollution
Exxon Valdez oil spill
Exxon Valdez oil spill
Oil pollution toxicity to marine fish