BP Research Money Not Enough, Oil Spill Scientists Say

The USF research vessel Weatherbird II has been busy studying the oil spill -- and researchers say they need a lot more money to determine the spill's impact.

Now that the gusher the in gulf appears to be capped, scientists are vying for money to research the oil spill's long-term impact, but there's not enough money to go around.

Members of the Florida Institute of Oceanography met in St. Petersburg to whittle down a list of 233 proposals to just 27.

Those research projects from universities and research institutes across the state will divide $10 million from BP.

That money is a proverbial drop in the bucket compared to how much researchers were asking for -- $100 million, according to Bill Hogarth, dean of USF's College of Marine Science.

"This is a great beginning, but we need more money. There's no doubt about it," Hogarth said. "There's probably $40 million dollars out of this proposal that we could fund today."

Hogarth says the projects were judged based on their scientific merit, scope and cost effectiveness.