Dr. John Wise, Chairperson of the symposia, provided an overview of the session and panelists talked to a packed room of participants about the about the first studies to evaluate the impact of the marine toxicology strategy considering the toxicity of crude oil, dispersants, dispersed oil and oil-related metals on microbes, fish and whales. Panelists talked about microbial degradation of oil and gas following the blowout, the assessment of the chemical impact of oil dispersants on corals, the effects of dispersed oil on larval sheephead minnows, and the Gulf of Mexico Offshore Toxicology Study.