Oil spill threatens estuaries rich in shellfish

AGUINO, Spain -- Fishermen off the Spanish coast scooped thick gobs of fuel from the sea Tuesday with nets, buckets and their hands, desperate to clean up an oil spill that threatens their livelihood.

Dozens of fishing boats with hulls black from oil returned to port in Aguino, where the dockside was lined with large plastic crates brimming with oil. Angry fishermen lashed out at officials for what they said was an ineffective response to the disaster.

When the fuel tanker Prestige split in half and sank about three weeks ago, it spilled 5.3 million gallons of oil -- some of it now near Europe's richest shellfish region.

Another 14 million gallons is still held in the wreck, lying on the ocean floor 2.2 miles down and about 155 miles west of the Rias Baixas, or Lower Estuaries. A French research submarine, the Nautile, reached the ship's bow in a dive Monday and preliminary results showed there were no new leaks from the wreck.