Latest news on the south coast seabird disaster

RSPCA

We are continuing to receive reports of seabirds covered in a sticky wax-like substance being sighted off, or washed up on the South and South West coasts of England.  The situation is still far from clear, but here is what we know so far:

What is the sticky substance, and where has it come from?

Results from the sampling by the Environment Agency show the pollutant is a refined mineral based oil mixture, but not from an animal or vegetable origin. This definitely rules out palm oil.

Stan Woznicki, the MCA’s Head of Counter Pollution, said: “We have not received any specific reports of pollution within the English Channel area, but today we sent one of our counter pollution surveillance aircraft to investigate. It covered the sea areas between Dover and the Isles of Scilly, but no pollution was detected.

“Initial analysis indicates that the contaminant is a refined mineral oil and further analysis results are awaited."

The source remains a mystery – no shipping incidents have been reported, and there have been no sightings of any surface slicks.  As birds have been washed up along a significant length of coastline, it seems likely the source is/was far out to sea. 

How is it affecting the birds?

The contaminant is sticking the birds wings to their bodies, and sticking stones and other debris to them.  So the birds are unable to move or forage for food.  The legs of some birds also appear to have been damaged, but it is not known whether this is related or not.

Initially most of the birds washed ashore were found alive, but today the numbers of dead birds found have been increasing.  Many of the birds found are thin and weak, which may indicate that they were affected some days ago.  As a result, it is quite probable that mortality will continue to rise.

Until the contaminant has been identified, it is not possible to predict the long term effects on survivors.  Also it is not possible to predict the impact on other marine wildlife, although at present there is no evidence that other marine life has been affected.

What is the scale of the incident?

So far we know hundreds birds have been affected. Late this afternoon Dorset Wildlife Trust reported they had helped RSPCA rescue 162 birds and found 200 dead. Birds have also been found from a number of different spots, mainly on the Dorset and south Devon coasts.  However, we will probably never know the full extent of this incident as many of the birds are likely to be lost at sea.  It is generally accepted that 3-10 times as many birds die at sea than are washed ashore in incidents like these.  We suspect the scale of the incident will be at the higher end, as following offshore gales on Thursday night, the seas have been calm all day, with an offshore wind continuing to blow affected birds out to sea. 

It appears that along with the increasing numbers of birds affected, the range of species affected, and locations where they have been found are also increasing.

Guillemots have been most affected, as 90% of the birds washed up have been this amber-listed bird.  The majority of the remaining 10% are razorbills, but we have also received reports of 2 dead cormorants, 1 dead puffin, and 1 dead fulmar. 

This afternoon 14 guillemots (10 dead, 2 live), 1 dead razorbill and 1 dead cormorant were found on Bournemouth beach.  This is the first report of affected birds at Bournemouth.

What do I do if I find an affected bird?

If you find an affected bird, we advise you not to touch it, as we do not know how hazardous the contaminant may be.  Also, a stressed bird is difficult to catch, so you may unintentionally cause it further distress and it may escape back to sea untreated.  If you find any affected birds, please contact the RSPCA (call 0300 1234 999). 

With Saturday’s weather predicted to be fine many of you may get out for a bracing walk.  Please, if you are walking along these coasts, keep an eye open for affected birds.  Take the RSPCA number with you.  You could both help an individual bird survive, and help us better understand the scale of the incident.

What next?

We are continuing to work with other NGOs to understand this incident, to mitigate the impact as much as possible. 

The real key to mitigating the impact of one-off incidents like this is a healthy population in the first place, so the future of a species is not significantly impaired by one-off disasters.  One of the best ways to build resilience into our marine wildlife is a well-connected network of marine Protected Areas (MPAs).  MPAs will not stop the individuals caught in a disaster from dying, but they provide a healthy reservoir to allow the population to recover.

It is therefore disappointing that the current proposals for English Marine Conservation Zones proposed by the government for implementation in 2013 are so inadequate.  Not only are there not enough sites proposed (only 31 of the 127 recommended by the governments own scientists), but they have also been downgraded in many cases.  Mobile species are poorly accounted for in the 31 sites proposed, and not a single one of those sites currently includes seabirds as protected species.

This incident has come just before Richard Benyon of DEFRA will visit the affected region for a public consultation.  There will be an open meeting in the D'Oyley Carte University Centre at South Devon College on Monday February 4th  between 1.00 pm to 3.00 pm.  Everyone is invited to attend, and if you are available, you can ask Mr Benyon about the inadequate proposals for England’s MPAs.

Acknowledgements

This is a very distressing event, and we applaud the RSPCA, South Devon Seabird Trust, Chesil and Fleet Nature Reserve, Dorset Wildlife Trust, Portland Bird Observatory, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Environment Agency and of course all the volunteers who are working to help resolve the situation.