Coast Guard cleans up tar balls in Islamorada
Reports of oil along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico

The Coast Guard, in conjunction with interagency partners including the Department of Environmental Protection and NOAA Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, responded, verified the report, and initiated cleanup operations using a pre-identified pollution response contractor under the provisions of the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund.

Contractors from Coffin Marine Services, Inc., an oil spill removal organization, completed the cleanup Thursday recovering six barrels of oiled debris. Additional shoreline assessment was completed one mile to the north and south of the collection site and no additional debris was discovered.

Samples of the oil were sent to the Marine Safety Lab in New London, Conn., for analysis, in an attempt to determine the source.

If you have knowledge of oil or hazardous material in our community please contact the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802.