Bligh Reef

{{Short description|Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska}}

Image:Bligh Reef NOAA 16708.png

Bligh Reef, sometimes known as Bligh Island Reef,{{cite web| title = Bligh Reef| publisher = HomeTownLocator, Inc.| year = 2008| url = http://alaska.hometownlocator.com/maps/feature-map,ftc,1,fid,1420516,n,Bligh%20Reef.cfm| accessdate = 2008-05-17}} is a reef off the coast of Bligh Island in Prince William Sound, Alaska. This was the location of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.{{cite web|title=Frequently asked questions about the Spill |url=http://www.evostc.state.ak.us/History/FAQ.htm |work=History of the Spill |publisher=Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council |accessdate=2008-03-10 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060925163639/http://www.evostc.state.ak.us/History/FAQ.htm |archivedate=2006-09-25 }} After the incident, 33 US Code § 2733 mandated the operation of an automated navigation light to prevent future collisions with the reef.[https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/33/2733- 33 USC 2733] Despite these efforts the tug Pathfinder ran aground on Bligh Reef on Dec 24, 2009, rupturing its tanks and spilling diesel fuel.{{cite news| title = Tug grounds on Bligh Reef| pages = 1| publisher = MarineLog| date = 2009-12-27| url = http://www.marinelog.com/DOCS/NEWSMMIX/2009dec00270.html| accessdate = 2010-01-20| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100103205731/http://marinelog.com/DOCS/NEWSMMIX/2009dec00270.html| archive-date = 2010-01-03| url-status = dead}} Bligh Reef is also where Alaska Steamship Company's Olympia ran aground in 1910.{{cite news | title = Olympia's Passengers Safe| pages = 10| work = New York Times| date = 1910-12-13| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1910/12/13/archives/olympias-passengers-safe-crew-malls-and-baggage-also-taken-from.html| accessdate = 2008-05-17}}"Details of the Wreck of the S.S. Olympia", Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. January 3, 1911. Page 2.

Bligh Reef serves as a fishing ground for halibut{{cite web| title = Prince William Sound July Fishing Summary| publisher = Alaska Department of Fish & Game| year = 2008| url = http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/region2/weekly/pwsjul.cfm| accessdate = 2008-05-17}} and a harvesting area for shrimp.{{cite web|title=Prince William Sound Shrimp |work=Recreational Fishing Series |publisher=Alaska Department of Fish & Game |url=http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/region2/pdfpubs/PWSshrimp.pdf |accessdate=2008-05-17 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060501052832/http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/region2/pdfpubs/PWSshrimp.pdf |archivedate=May 1, 2006 }} The nearest town is Tatitlek, which lies {{convert|7|mi|km|0|abbr=off|sp=us|spell=on}} to the northeast.

The reef was named after William Bligh, of future HMS Bounty fame, who served as Master aboard ship during James Cook's third world voyage.