Multiple teams of scientists are very worried about how the recent oil spill will affect the hundreds of birds that migrate to the bay each winter. Some of these birds are rare or endagered species, others are common, but the oil will and has affected them all. Not only the migratory bird populations have and will be affected, the spill has upset the entire ecological system of the bay, as taking away one component of the cycle, such as the birds, it disrupts the entire workings of the chain. While exposure to the oil may not kill some birds, depending on thier degree of contamination, it is still a detrimental force. Another worry is that some birds stop only breifly in the bay and then carry on southwards for the rest of the winter. These birds will carry the oil contamination with them to other areas. Other marine animals that were affected included sea lions and harbor seals, both who have swum in the oil-slicked waters of the bay. The effect of the oil spill on the fish of the San Fransisco Bay is yet to be documented (as far as I read). The spill is not only threatening the lives of the marine animals directly near the Bay but also nature reserves and protected areas all along the coast, examples would be the Fitzgerald State Reserve at Moss Beach and The Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/11/15/MNF1TCHHP.DTL