Report Oiled Birds: 1-877-823-6926
Report Oil Spills: 1-800-645-7911 (1-800-OILS-911)
PRBO's Oil Spill Response Team was deployed by the Oiled Wildlife Care Network on November 9. 2007, in response to the Cosco Busan accident that spilled 58,000 gallons of bunker oil in SF Bay, on Wednesday November 7, 2007. Members of the team – led by Christine Abraham and Diana Humple, and under the umbrella of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network - continued their response until January 10th, 2008. A total of 19 members responded in total, including team members from within and outside of PRBO.
Listen to interviews with PRBO staff responding to the Cosco Busan Oil Spill:
NEW! ABC News Feature: Alcatraz Wildlife Affected by Oil Spill (6/30/08)
Update on SF Bay Oil Spill
Long-term impacts of the Cosco Busan Spill
Many other PRBO staff conducted beach, wetland and island surveys, as well as collected oiled birds and developed communications related to the spill, during this event.
How did PRBO Help? Collecting Evidence and Scientific Data
PRBO's Oil Spill Response Team is responsible for the logging and processing of birds at the San Francisco Bay Oiled Wildlife Care and Education Center in Cordelia, CA, an Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) site, and headquarters of the International Bird Rescue and Research Center (IBRRC).
Processing involves identifying species and collecting oiling and other data, as well as evidence from the animals (live and dead). This is the scientific evidence used to legally assess the impact of the spill on wildlife. PRBO's Oil Spill Response Team is part of the state of California's Incident Command Structure.
How else did PRBO Help? Conducting Surveys for Oiled Wildlife
PRBO biologists also conducted surveys of birds on coastal beaches, including in Bolinas, Alcatraz Island, Point Reyes Beaches, the Farallon Islands, and others. This was to ensure oiled birds on less populated beaches were collected and reported accurately.
Common Species collected during the Cosco Busan event: Surf Scoters, Western Grebes, Eared Grebes, Greater Scaup, Common Murres, and Brandt's Cormorants.
Other common species included Clark's Grebes, Horned Grebes, Ruddy Ducks, Greater White-winged Scoters and Common Loons. Numerous other species were also oiled.
- Impacted species were seabirds and seaducks that use the bays, estuaries, and nearshore marine environment for foraging, as well as shorebirds that forage along sandy or rocky beaches. The San Francisco Bay and the central coast of California are vitally important wintering areas for vast numbers of birds, and the timing of the oil spill therefore had great impacts.
- The total number of birds collected alive were 1,084, and collected dead were 1,864. See the OWCN webpage for #'s of live birds that were rehabilitated and released.
Long-term impacts: We cannot yet predict the amount of damage to seabird populations from Cosco Busan. See the state's Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) website for related information as it becomes available.
Modeling the impacts as well as long-term monitoring will be required to answer this question. Our long-term monitoring projects at the Farallon Islands and Alcatraz will be critical components of this. Here are the general things we know about the long-term effects of oil spills on bird populations.
- Population declines from direct mortality. This is further influenced by the age and sex composition of the birds killed in the oil spill (e.g., if mostly adults winter in an area where a spill occurs, the long-term impacts will be much greater to the breeding populations, as mortality is already naturally quite high in young birds)
- Extirpation of small populations. For populations that are already much imperiled and have a small distribution, oil spills actually have the potential to extirpate either a species, subspecies, or population.
- Reduced reproductive success. Birds that have been through oiling events can have reduced reproductive success from the stress of the oiling; this can then further impact the population long-term.
- Lower survival rates. Oil spills can lower survival rates in birds that survive the spill event.
- Less prey available. If oil kills the food or prey items on which birds forage, this can result in long-term effects. Also, oil can persist in the environment long-term which impacts birds by reduced food availability or toxicity of food sources.
Mortality Rates: The number of oiled birds collected during a spill is an underestimation of the true numbers impacted. Observed mortality is frequently much lower than true mortality (even as low as 5-10% during some historic spills) as many carcasses are never recovered (they may sink, wash out to sea, end up on inaccessible beaches where they are not found, or are removed by scavengers).
Birds are affected by oil in a number of ways:
- hypothermia- oil interferes with the waterproofing of their feathers and allows their skin to come in contact with the cold water
- starvation-birds beach themselves to avoid the hypothermia and therefore can't feed at sea; or they preen (clean their feathers) so obsessively to try to remove the oil that they do not spend any time feeding
-
toxicity from ingesting oil during preening
Natalie Cosentino-Manning at the NOAA Restoration Center is collecting pictures and information about the spill. Please email your photos and information to Natalie.c-manning@noaa.gov. Natalie’s number is 707-206-1642, or 707-575-6081.
[back to top]
Ways You Can Help Seabirds
PRBO does not rehabilitate wildlife.
Note: Please do not collect oiled wildlife, the oil is toxic to handle. Report oiled wildlife to the hotline-877-823-6926. Collecting live birds without training can cause more harm than help and compromise their condition. The Marin Humane Society is now also helping collect dead and live birds from beaches, but they need to be reported.
[back to top]
For Teachers and Students
Help support PRBO's Oil Spill Response Efforts!
PRBO is accepting donations for our beach surveys and other efforts, which is one important way to help with the oil spill. You can find more information on this above on "How You Can Help" - Nancy Gamble, ngamble@prbo.org, is the contact person for these donations. *Please note that the costs of PRBO's oiled wildlife processing team associated with the current response will be paid by the party responsible for spilling the oil, but other elements of our spill response - including beach surveys and preparedness for future spills - are being generously supported by donations.
Schedule a marine ecosystem activity with PRBO!
Learning about how oil affects waterbirds and the environment is one way to "help" with the effort by educating students and encouraging them to share what they've learned with others. We offer a classroom-based marine ecosystem activity called Webs Under Waves that focuses on the challenges seabirds face including oil spills and plastic pollution as well as the marine food web. Please contact mwipf@prbo.org or call (707) 781-2555, x 302.
Create "Oil Spill Aware" posters for your school or community!
Creating informational posters on the oil spill to educate the schools and community is another important way for students to be involved. You can find this type of information on our web page through the links included above and the oil spill flyer below.
Educate your schools and community on what to do if you find an oiled bird!
*Click here to download this flyer and post at your school or in your community.
Thanks for being such important role models for your students and many others around you!
[back to top]
Press Releases
Oiled Birds at the Farallon Islands Press Release(Nov. 9, 2007)
SF Bay Oil Spill Press Release (Nov. 9, 2007)
[back to top]
Media Coverage of PRBO
Nov 15, 2007 SF Chronicle: Spill Puts Migrating Birds At Risk
Nov 12, 2007 ABC News
Nov 10 SF Chronicle story on Farallones
[back to top]
PRBO Authored Publications on Oil Spill Response and Impact to Birds and Other Wildlife
The Effects of Oil on Birds and other Wildlife (starting with most current publication)
Heubeck, M., Camphuysen, K., Bao, R., Humple, D., Sandoval Rey, A., Cadiou, B., Brager, S. and Thomas, T. 2003. Assessing the impact of major oil spills on seabird populations. Marine Pollution Bulletin 46: 900-902. PDF
Nur, N., Sydeman, W.J., Pyle, P., Stenzel, L.E., Ainley, D.G. and Schuster, T.G. 1997. Temporal, spatial, and species-specific patterns of chronic oiling as revealed by the Beached Bird Survey, Farallon Oiled Bird Survey and bird rescue programs in central California. Report to the California Department of Fish and Game, Office of Oil Spill Prevention and Response (Chapter 1). PDF
Nur, N., Ford, G. and Ainley, D. 1993. Computer Model of Farallon Seabird Populations. Final report to the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. PDF
Nur, N. and Ainley, D. 1992. Comprehensive Review and Critical Synthesis of the Literature on Recovery of Marine Bird Populations from Environmental Perturbations. Report to Restoration and Planning Working Group. PDF
Fry, D.M., Kemper, K.M., Utts, J., Ainley, D.G., Boekelheide, R.J. and Carter, H. 1987. Seabird oil toxicity study: final report. Report to U.S. Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service. PDF
Butler, R.G., Trivelpiece, W. and Miller, D.S. 1982. The effects of oil, dispersant, and emulsions on the survival and behavior of an estuarine teleost and an inertidal amphipod. Environmental Research 27: 266-276. Abstract
Impacts of Historic Oil Spills on Birds and Other Wildlife (starting with most current publication)
Humple, D., Abraham, C., Ramos, A., Dopico, M., Fernández-Boán, M., García, L., Bao, R., Heubeck M. and Camphuysen, C.J. 2007. Age and sex structure of auk (Alcidae) mortality during the Prestige oil spill in Galicia, NW Spain, November 2002-April 2003. Effects of Oil on Wildlife Conference Proceedings, June 2007, Monterey, CA. PDF
Carter, H.R., Lee, V.A., Page, G.W., Parker, M.W., Ford, R.G., Swartzman, G., Kress, S.W., Siskin, B.R., Singer, S.W. and Fry, D.M. 2003. The 1986 Apex Houston oil spill in central California: seabird injury assessments and litigation process. MarineOrnithology 31: 9-19. PDF
Hampton, S., Ford, R.G., Carter, H.R., Abraham, C. and Humple, D. 2003. Chronic oiling and seabird mortality from the sunken vessel S.S. Luckenbach in central California. Marine Ornithology 31:35-41. PDF
Camphuysen, K., Heubeck, M., Cox, S., Bao, R., Humple, D., Abraham, C., and Sandoval, A. 2002. The Prestige oil spill in Spain. Atlantic Seabirds 4(3):131-140. PDF
Ford, R.G., Bonnell, M.L., Varoujean, D.H., Page, G.W., Carter, H.R., Sharp, B.E., Heinemann, D. and Casey, J.L. 1996. Total direct mortality of seabirds from the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Pages 684-711 in Rice, S.D., Spies, R.B., Wolfe, D.A. and Wright, B.A., editors. Proceedings of the Exxon Valdez oil spill symposium. American Fisheries Society Symposium 18. PDF
Kennicutt, M.C., Sweet, S.T., Fraser, W.R. Srockton, W.L. and Culver, M. 1991. Grounding of the Bahia Paraiso at Arthur Harbor, Antarctic: 1. Distribution and fate of oil spill related hydrocarbons. Environ. Sci. Technol. 25(3):509-518. PDF
Page, G.W., Carter, H.R. and Ford, R.G. 1990. Numbers of seabirds killed or debilitated in the 1986 Apex Houston oil spill in central California. Studies in Avian Biology 14: 164-174. PDF
Carter, H.R., Page, G.W. and Ford, R.G. 1987. The importance of rehabilitation center data in determining the impacts of the 1986 oil spill on marine birds in central California. Wildlife Journal 10:3 (9-14). PDF
Page, G.W. and Carter, H.R. 1986. Impacts of the 1986 San Joaquin Valley crude oil spill on marine birds in central California. PRBO special scientific report.
Point Reyes Bird Observatory. 1985. The impacts of the T/V Puerto Rican oil spill on marine bird and mammal populations in the Gulf of the Farallones, 6-19 November, 1984. PRBO Special Report. PDF
Smail, J., Ainley, D.G. and Strong, H, 1972. Notes on birds killed in the 1971 San Francisco oil spill. California Birds 3(2) 25-32. PDF
The Methodology of Oil Spill Response and Impact Assessment (from the perspective of wildlife) (starting with most current publication)
Humple, D., Abraham, C., Ziccardi, M.H. and Massey, J.G. 2007. Data documentation of dead and debilitated oiled wildlife: California’s approach. Proceedings of the 2007 Effects of Oil on Wildlife Conference. PDF
Humple, D., Abraham. C, and Sydeman, W. 2002. The Wildlife Group Oil Spill Training and Preparedness Project 2001-2002: annual report. Report to the Oiled Wildlife Care Network and California Department of Fish and Game Office of Spill Prevention and Response. PDF
Humple, D. and C. Abraham. 2002. Prestige oil spill in Spain: a summary of the PRBO response in 2002. PDF
Carter, H.R. and Page, G.W. 1989. Central California oil spill contingency plan: assessment of numbers and species composition of dead beached birds. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS MEMD.
Ford, R.G., Bonnell, M.L., Varoujean, D.H., Page, G.W., Carter, H.R., Sharp, B.E., Heinemann, D. and Casey, J.L. 1987. Estimating mortality of seabirds from oil spills. Proceedings of the American Petroleum Institute 1987: 547-551. PDF
[back to top]
