There is a public perception that the cutting-edge approach to marine spill bioremediation should consist primarily of the bioaugmentation ('superbug') strategy. Certainly, culturing natural or engineered oil-eating superbacteria for release to the environment to break down and digest spilled oil sounds like an appealing prospect. The reality, however, is that the simpler biostimulation (jump-start) strategy is often sufficient and in many instances more appropriate.

Certain microbes in the natural environment are capable of degrading specific components of the crude oil, including some components that are highly resistant to degradation. Because different species attack different components of the crude, a diverse. multi-species assemblage is necessary for significant degradation to take place. This 'tag team' approach is essential to effective natural oil biodegradation. In fact, more than 70 different genera of oil-degrading bacteria and fungi have so far been identified. No laboratory has developed a genetically-engineered superbacterium that can single-handedly degrade and digest all the components of a crude oil spill. In all likelihood such an organism never will be produced. The genetic load required to code for the biological machinery capable of dealing with the range of compounds present in crude oil would crowd other essential genes out of the bacterial genome. The resulting organism would most likely be unable to compete with wild counterparts in the natural environment.

Bioaugmentation strategies aimed at introducing several novel engineered organisms to degrade spilled oil are questionable for another reason. Unintended negative consequences can result from releasing exotic organisms into new habitats, and the potential risks posed by such introductions generally outweigh anticipated benefits.