Major incidents such as the Amoco Cadiz (France, 1978), the Exxon Valdez (USA, 1989), the Braer (UK, 1993), the Sea Empress (UK, 1996), the Erika (France, 1999) and the Prestige (Spain, 2002) have provided the stimulus for the development of alternative response techniques to tackle oil pollution both at sea and on the shoreline. One such technique is bioremediation. Although recognized as a potential response option 30 years ago, it is receiving renewed attention as more environmentally accetable clean-up methods are sought and as new claims of the potency of bioremediation are made.