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.