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NEW ORLEANS — A large fuel spill that has shut down 100 miles of the Mississippi River for four days has had a limited effect on wildlife so far.
A tanker and a barge collided Wednesday, spilling about 419,000 gallons of fuel oil from the barge.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had reports of almost 60 animals coated with oil, mostly ducks and wading birds, regional spokesman Tom MacKenzie said Saturday.
Officials said they had reports of only limited impact on stretches of the winding river fronted by levees topped with rocky cover, concrete mats and other anti-erosion materials. But MacKenzie cautioned that probably only a fraction of the affected wildlife had been spotted.
