A colony of kittiwakes and other seabirds enjoy the relative safety of rocky cliffs in Prince William Sound.
In 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil spill contaminated about 1,500 miles of Alaska's coastline. It killed birds, mammals, and fish, and disrupted the ecosystem in the path of the oil. In 1991, Exxon agreed to pay the United States and the State of Alaska $900 million over ten years to restore the resources injured by the spill, and the reduced or lost services (human uses) they provide.
The Exxon Valdez Restoration Plan provides long-term guidance for restoring the resources and services injured by the oil spill. It contains policies for making restoration decisions and describes how restoration activities will be implemented.