Consequently, their eggs and larvae are presumably being bathed in a toxic soup of oil and dispersant.

CNN: We are all Gulf victims now

The big question is which poses a greater environmental risk: oil washing ashore, or a mixture of oil and dispersant at sea.

WSJ: Gauging Harm to Ecosystem Could Take Years

"The dispersant is moving the oil down out of the surface and into the deeper waters, where it can affect phytoplankton and other marine life, " said John Paul, a marine microbiologist at the University of South Florida.

CNN: Allen: 'Our first goal is to do no harm' in Gulf