Scientists Find New Oil Plume In Gulf

CBS4Online: Scientists Find New Oil Plume In Gulf
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numSlides of totalImages Slideshows Think You Know About Halloween - Think Again Halloween, Hollywood-Style Stumped For A Costume? Scientists speaking at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show say they continue to see effects of the BP oil spill surfacing in the Gulf of Mexico.

At a conference Thursday, scientists with a group called the International SeaKeepers Society, unveiled a map showing a new plume of oil -- about 6 miles long -- that's been discovered in the Gulf by fishermen.

"They described it as having millions of specks of reddish-brown oil in it," Dr. Mark Luther from the University of South Florida told CBS 4's Carey Codd.

Scientists cannot say for certain that the plume is from the BP spill, but they said it's a possibility.

Luther said the oil appears not to be toxic. "It's not in any concentration that is going to foul the beaches or make seafood inedible."

However Luther said that since so much oil spilled -- millions of barrels-- a lot of it sank to deep waters. He said the oil down below will not decay as quickly as oil on the surface and it will eventually rise to the top.

"There's likely to be effects for years or even decades because there's so much oil that's still out there," Luther said. "We just don't know where it is."

Luther is especially worried about how the oil will affect generations of fish.

Ocean explorer Fabian Cousteau is also warning that even though the BP well was capped and the surface oil cleaned there is still a threat out down below that people are no longer talking about.

"It's poisoning our future, it's poising our oceans and the fact that we're seeing plumes is of no surprise to me whatsoever," Cousteau said.

Scientists with the SeaKeepers Society are advocating equipping large boats with sensors that will scan for oil in the gulf and will reveal specific details about the oil in the water.