The Ixtoc disaster affected 162 miles of Texas coastline and 1,421 birds were found with oiled feathers and feet, according to the NOAA. The U.S. commercial fishing industry was negligibly affected by the earlier spill, according to a report by the Bureau of Land Management. Conversely, some 25 percent of the Gulf has been closed to fishermen due to the BP spill.
The Ixtoc spill did cause Texas tourism to take a hit, however. The BLM estimated a seven to 10 percent decrease, while local officials claimed a 60 percent hit. U.S. businesses sued Mexico for more than $300 million in damages, but Mexico claimed sovereign immunity and refused to pay.
The effects to Texas were mitigated, however, because officials had two months to prepare boom and barrier islands before the oil hit.
neg·li·gi·ble-Not significant or important enough to be worth considering; trifling.
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