b.    Providing scientific expertise to predict where the spill is going and what impacts it might have 

c.    Identifying resources risk

d.    Recommending cleaning up methods depending on the location of the spills, potential hazards, weather conditions, waves and currents.

  i.    Use dispersants to break down and speed up natural biodegradation of the oil: Chemical dispersant can be used to break down the oil and to speed up its natural biodegradation. Dispersants break the slick into droplets of oil, which makes it easier for the oil and water to mix, and for the slick to be absorbed into the aquatic system. However, this method is not appropriate for all oil spills, and especially not in all locations. Dispersants should not be used when it can affect marine organisms, as the chemicals and broken-down oil can be absorbed by marine life including sub-tidal seafood that can enter into the food chain.

   ii.    Contain the spill using booms and collect the oil from the surface of the water using skimmers: Long, buoyant booms, which can be solid or inflatable tubes, surround and isolate the oil slick. The booms rise about 3 feet (1 Meter) above water level, and are attached to a skirt that hangs underwater. From the surface, skimmers suck or scoop the oil into containment tanks on the shore or on nearby vessels. It is more difficult to use booms and skimmers on the high seas and under conditions of high winds. 

  iii.    Add biological agents to the spill: Oil that has washed up along the shoreline can be broken down through a process called biodegradation. Biodegradation occurs when bacteria and other micro-organism break down the oil into harmless substances, such as fatty acids and carbon dioxide. Clean up crews can speed up this process of biodegradation by adding fertilizing nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, which encourage the growth of micro-organism.

 iv.    Let the oil break down naturally: If there is no possibility that the oil will pollute coastal regions or marine life, the oil could be left to disperse naturally. The sun, wind, currents and waves can disperse and evaporate most oils, through light oils can disperse quicker than heavy oils. 

Many birds and animals also ingest oil when they try to clean themselves, which can poison them.

Fish and shellfish may not be exposed immediately, but can come into contact with oil if it is mixed into the water column. When exposed to oil, adult fish may experience reduced growth, enlarged livers, changes in heart and respiration rates, fin erosion, and reproduction impairment. Oil also adversely affects eggs and larval survival.

Oil waste poisons the sensitive marine and coastal organic substrate, interrupting the food chain on which fish and sea creatures depend, and on which their reproductive success is based. Commercial fishing enterprises may be affected permanently.
The fate of oil residues on shore depends on the spilled oil's composition and properties, the volume of oil that reaches the shore, the types of beach and coastal sediments and rocks contacted by the oil, the impact of the oil on sensitive habitats and wildlife, weather events, and seasonal and climatic conditions. Some oils evaporate, disperse, emulsify, weather, and decompose more easily than others. The weather and seasonal and climatic conditions may accelerate or delay these processes.