On or about April 20, 2010, the mobile offshore drilling unit, Deepwater Horizon, which was being used to drill a well for BP Exploration and Production, Inc. (BP) in the Macondo prospect (Mississippi Canyon 252-MC252), suffered a blowout, caught fire and subsequently sank in the Gulf of Mexico (the Gulf). Tragically, 11 workers were killed and 19 injured. The Spill is one of the largest oil spills in U.S. history. The Spill discharged millions of barrels of oil over a period of 87 days. In addition, well over 1 million gallons of dispersants3 were applied to the waters of the spill area in an attempt to disperse the spilled oil. An undetermined amount of natural gas was also released to the environment as a result of the Spill. The U.S. Coast Guard responded and directed federal efforts to contain and clean up the Spill. The scope, nature and magnitude of the Spill caused impacts to coastal and oceanic ecosystems ranging from the deep ocean floor, through the oceanic water column, to the highly productive coastal habitats of the northern Gulf, including estuaries, shorelines and coastal marsh. Affected resources include ecologically, recreationally, and commercially important species and their habitats in the Gulf and along the coastal areas of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. These fish and wildlife species and their supporting habitats provide a number of important ecological and recreational use services