St. George's Harbour, Agriculture and Fisheries director Mr. John Barnes declared yesterday.

But fry and other fish living in the harbour and in waters off Stokes Point may die as a result of taking in oil through their gills, he said.

"Clearly there were some fry in difficulty while we were there (yesterday),'' he said. However, he said there has been no evidence so far any other kinds of fish died from taking in oil.

Mr. Barnes said quick action by Agriculture and Fisheries and the US Navy helped prevent the oil spill from causing a lot more damage. He also said it was fortunate the oil that was spilled was mostly watered down instead of "the thick gunky stuff''.

Mr. Barnes said natural weathering will take care of the aesthetic damage to the Stokes Point shoreline. He said Agriculture and Fisheries workers had turned over rocks covered in oil globs so they could be scrubbed clean by the sea.

A 400-foot boom the US Navy deployed to catch the oil before it reached Mullet Bay was taken up yesterday morning, Mr. Barnes said. He said the clean up was officially over, but the area will be checked periodically.

An officer from the cruise ship Nordic Prince -- which has been accused of spilling the oil -- is expected to appear in court today on charges of polluting the Island's waters.