Unalaska, AK – For four days last week, the Aleutian Islands Risk Assessment advisory panel met in Anchorage to discuss vessel security and oil spill response measures.

Leslie Pearson is an advisory panel facilitator, and she explains the objectives of the meeting.

"The primary focus of the meetings for October is to look at all the types of risk reduction options that might be available to either prevent or mitigate a shipwreck out in the Aleutian Islands region," says Pearson.

The Aleutian Islands Risk assessment project is a joint venture between the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. The project was organized in response to the grounding of the M/V Selendang Ayu in 2004 and the oil spill it caused.

While the team is studying transportation routes across the Bering Sea and Aleutian Chain, Pearson says that Unalaska will likely figure into any response scenario.

"Unalaska is the major port out there, so it seems like if there's going to be an incident, everyone mobilizes to Unalaska," says Pearson. "So there's going an impact to the community whether it's a lot of people there or bringing a vessel into Dutch Harbor.