On April 12, 2020, a minor oil spill was reported at the Valdez Marine Terminal (VMT) in Port Valdez, Alaska. An estimated 1,400 gallons (~34 barrels) of Alaska North Slope (ANS) crude oil overflowed from an onshore sump well and subsequently reached the shoreline, creating slicks and necessitating a full-scale marine cleanup response. Recognizing a “spill of opportunity,” the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council’s (PWSRCAC) Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) initiated a special project to measure oil exposures and genetic response in shoreline mussels from this spill.
This report is the executive summary of the full report titled: Transcriptomic responses to an Alaskan oil spill over time reveal a dynamic multisystem involvement in exposed mussels (Mytilus trossulus).