crude. it's incredible to me to think that this oil originated 100 miles from here. but it's tenacious stuff and sticks to everything, to the sand, to the habitat, to the wildlife. >> to that point, jeff, is there any precedent for predictsing the environmental impact of a category 2 storm mixing with that volume of oil that's on the surface, on the gulf and in the water that's forced now behind you and when all that stuff is forced into fragile ecosystems like marshes and such? >> reporter: keith, this is clearly the most devastating, unprecedented environment catastrophe our country has ever experienced. i think people don't truly recognize the importance of these gulf waters. 70% of our seafood, specifically our shellfish and shrimp, they grow in these waters. these are the nurseries for life.