Beachgoers in the Bay Area have been seeing seabirds covered in oil after a container ship rammed into the Bay Bridge, spilling 58,000 gallons of fuel oil. Fuel oil, which is “what’s left after oil is refined for gasoline,” is notoriously hard to clean up.

The spill could have serious long-term consequences for fish, birds and plant life in and around the bay, said Keren Murphy, a Sierra Club expert on offshore drilling and fishing.

“Oil is extremely toxic to marine life, even at low concentrations or small spills,” Murphy said. “On top of that, in an enclosed bay like San Francisco Bay, the coastal wetlands are particularly vulnerable. The shelter, lagoon and wetlands that are in this bay – this type of oil can persist in the sediment for decades.”

If you’d like to volunteer with the cleanup, go to baykeeper.org for information. Photo by Michael Macor for the SF Chronicle.