US & World

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS) ― Hundreds of people and a fleet of oil-skimming boats were at work Saturday trying to clean up San Francisco Bay's worst oil spill in nearly two decades, as rescue teams raced to save hundreds of seabirds.

At least 60 birds had died since 58,000 gallons of heavy bunker fuel spilled into the bay Wednesday after a container ship hit a tower of the Bay Bridge, according to the Coast Guard.

Tides carried the thick fuel under the Golden Gate Bridge and into the Pacific Ocean, closing about two dozen beaches around the bay and along the Pacific coast.

The Coast Guard deployed 20 oil skimmers Saturday, up from 11 the day before, said Petty Officer Sherri Eng.

Nearly 20,000 gallons of the heavy oily had been sucked up by Saturday morning, but authorities said most of it will never be captured. It eventually will dissipate but concentrated globules could survive for months and cause problems for seabirds.

About 500 workers joined shoreline cleanup crews Saturday on a job that is expected to last weeks or possibly months.

At an afternoon press conference, officials announced a criminal investigation is being initiated. But the focus remained on the cleanup. "Our goal tomorrow is to  have cleanup crews on all impacted beaches," a Coast Guard official said.

Officials said in more than 90 percent of cases, human error was to blame for the spill, and it was being eyed in this instance as well.

State wildlife officials said they had received hundreds of reports of oiled birds found on Bay area beaches. By Saturday, 200 live birds had been sent to a rehabilitation center.

Most of the injured birds are surf scoters, duck-like birds that dive for fish. When oil gets on their feathers, it disrupts their waterproofing and ability to stay warm, forcing them on shore where they are at risk of starvation.

"Oil and feathers don't mix," said Yvonne Addassi, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Fish and Game. "We're in a time crunch. The birds can only stayed oiled for so long before they can no longer be rehabilitated."

Fish and Game officials said the fuel generally floats on the surface and they had not seen any evidence that fish had been harmed. However, they are concerned that the spill could affect bay herring that spawn at this time of year. In addition, fishermen are worried that it could affect the Dungeness crab season that begins Nov. 15 because sea water is pumped into tanks to keep caught crabs alive.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency Friday, making additional state funding and resources available for the cleanup.

Criticism has mounted about the Coast Guard's response to the spill.

The attorney for the pilot who was guiding the vessel when it hit the bridge said the pilot notified authorities immediately, and soon after alerted them that there was a sheen of oil floating on the water.

According to the statement from Capt. John Cota's lawyer, it took cleanup crews at least 90 minutes to respond. Coast Guard logs of the day's events shows a response team on the scene in about a half hour, but also show it took much longer for oil-skimming vessels to arrive.

Rear Adm. Craig Bone, the Coast Guard's top official in California, conceded the agency should have done a better job informing local authorities, but he said the Coast Guard's response was immediate and aggressive.

The accident is under investigation, and Coast Guard officials are focusing on possible communication problems among ship personnel and vessel traffic controllers.

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