World's smallest seahorse facing extinction in oil spill clean-up

http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2010/09/worlds-smallest-seahorse-may-be-exterminated-by-oil-spill.html

Summary – This article is about how the world’s smallest seahorse, found only in the Gulf Coast waters, could become extinct due to the oil spill and the clean-up efforts. The main reason for this is that most of the dwarf seahorses’ habitat has been destroyed in the oil spill, and they have been exposed to high levels of oil toxins and harmful chemical dispersants. Sea grass, which is the habitat in which the dwarf seahorse lives, is being burned so that the oil caught in it doesn’t spread to open water. However, the many small animals that live there, who also provide food for the dwarf seahorse, are being burned too. Scientists have suggested alternative ways to clean up the oil which will be less harmful to wildlife, such as the use of fertilizers, which actually helps the growth of micro-organisms who can break down oil.

Opinion – I think this is really sad that this animal could become extinct, and I think that BP needs to become more informed about the wildlife that they are endangering. They also need to know that some of the actions they are taking to clean the oil can also harm the marine life. This is important because whole ecosystems can change with the loss of this and other species, and that would in turn affect humans who, let’s say, fish for a living, and when the dwarf seahorse or another animal goes extinct, so would the fish that provide them with their income. Also, I think BP needs to take some of the alternative clean-up methods into consideration because they are really useful and less harmful. This is my opinion on this article.