Red Light to Starboard: Recalling the "Exxon Valdez" Disaster

Minutes before supertanker "Exxon Valdez" ran aground on Bligh Reef, before rocks ripped a huge hole in her hull and a geyser of crude oil darkened the pristine waters of Alaska's Prince William Sound, the ship's lookout burst through the chart room door. "That light, sir, it's still on the starboard side. It should be to port, sir." Her frantic words were merely the last in a litany of futile warnings. "Red Light to Starboard" documents an event that stunned the world-- recounting how futile warnings, regional and national history, as well as failed governmental and public policy decisions led to disastrous environmental consequences for a spectacular, fragile ecosystem. Cordova native Bobby Day's intimate story lends a local fisherman's perspective and conveys the damage suffered by individuals, communities, and the fishing industry.