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Every form of life is unique, warranting
respect regardless of its worth to man, and, to accord other
organisms such recognition, man must be guided by a moral
code of action; all areas of the earth, both land and sea,
shall be subject to these principles of conservation; special
protection shall be given to unique areas, to representative
samples of all the different types of ecosystems and to the
habitat of rare or endangered species.
From The World Charter For Nature,
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 37/7 (1982)
On March 24, 1989, the tanker Exxon
Valdez spilled more than 38 million litres of crude oil
into Prince William Sound. The oil slick coated approximately
1770 kilometres of the Alaska shoreline and many islands in
the Sound. Several thousand marine mammals (especially otters),
tens of thousands of shore-nesting birds and countless fish
and other marine animals were killed. Results of a 2001 survey
indicate a total area of approximately 20 acres of shoreline
in Prince William Sound are still contaminated with oil, 12
years after the disaster. Oil was found at 58 percent of the
91 sites assessed and is estimated to have the linear equivalent
of 5.8 km of contaminated shoreline.
 On
June 23, 2000, the bulk ore carrier MV Treasure sank
off the Western Cape of South Africa between Dassen and Robben
Islands. More than 1300 tons of bunker fuel spilled in an
area that is home to the word's largest breeding colonies
of African penguins, Spheniscus demersus. 20,000 oiled birds
were captured and rehabilitated.
Oil spills do not all result from vessel collisions, vessels
sinking, breaks in fuelling equipment or mechanical errors.
It is estimated that as much as 90% of the oil in marine waters
comes from sources that are much more difficult to identify,
including pleasure boats, improperly disposed oil products
and run-off from urban areas. Illegal bilge oil dumping in
1999 by the Philippeans ship Baltic Confidence resulted
in a 50km oil slick off the coast of Nova Scotia that threatened
Atlantic fishing grounds, and the wildlife sanctuary at Sable
Island.
It does not take 38 million litres of crude oil or 1300 tons
of bunker fuel to kill or sicken wildlife. The U.S. Office
of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) estimates that one
gallon of used motor oil in one million gallons of water will
kill half of all Dungeness crab larvae exposed to it.
The impact of oil spills on wildlife is varied, and often
deadly. When a seabird or waterfowl lands in a gasoline spill
and flies away, it will preen or clean itself and ingest the
toxic product. Minute amounts of petroleum on bird eggs can
destroy them. Otters and other mammals lose their insulation
when their fur is coated with oil, and they suffer hypothermia,
and lung, liver, and kidney damage. All of these can be fatal.
The more rescue and rehabilitation work wildlife veterinarians
do, and the more facilities we create for wildlife care, the
more we learn about it, and improve the animals' chances of
survival (OSPR).
There are a number of organizations that specialize in rescue
and rehabilitation of oiled wildlife. Some organizations offer
training in the care and cleaning of oiled wildlife.
Oiled Wildlife
Response teams
Earthkind (United Kingdom)
Seabird Rehabilitation (USA, east coast)
Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research (International)
International Fund for Animal Welfare (International)
Volunteer Information
Oiled Wildlife Care Protocols
Oiled Avian and Marine Mammal Care Protocols
These protocols are meant for use as general guidelines in
the care of oiled birds. Because every spill is different,
the OWCN may modify protocols to suit the individual situation.
Factors such as petroleum type, species impacted, numbers
of individuals affected, and other seasonal factors may result
in the OWCN changing protocols during a spill response. Download
files in PDF format or request hard copy.
For information on oil spills, response, rescue and treatment
protocols, choose on of the topics below.
EarthKind is a UK charity working to protect seabirds and
marine wildlife from the effects of pollution, through a combination
of emergency wildlife rescue and education.On 24 hour alert
for national and international pollution incidents, EarthKind's
oiled wildlife rehabilitator's have attended most of the world's
biggest oil spill disasters in recent years. EarthKind also
runs a series of successful interactive marine education programmes
aimed at encouraging people, especially children, to take
an active interest in protecting the marine environment.
The Environmental Emergencies Section of the Environmental
Protection Branch has been set up to provide a strong, coordinated
framework for all phases of emergency management. This is
done through the development and application of a number of
tools related to planning, training and exercises, response
mechanisms and incident prevention protocols. The section
personnel also provide communication management within the
department in crisis situations and participate in international
forums to shape and influence environmental emergency related
conventions and agreements.
This website provides information about the U.S. EPA's program
for preventing, preparing for, and responding to oil spills
that occur in and around inland waters of the United States.
With an oil spill response team of 25 wildlife experts , IBRRC
has managed the oiled bird rehabilitation efforts in nearly
100 oil spills in 11 states, including the 1989 Exxon Valdez
oil spill in Alaska. Our international work has taken us to
seven different countries and two U.S. territories. IBRRC
provides training and consultation to the petroleum industry,
local, state, and federal Fish and Wildlife agencies, wildlife
rehabilitators and researchers. Federal and state permits
grant IBRRC permission to work with wild birds in captivity.
IBRRC is a non-profit 501-C3 organization that relies on the
petroleum industry, fees for services, state generated response
contracts, research grants, foundation grants, and individual
contributions for financial support.
IFAW's website: go to oil spill response team link
The California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) Office of
Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR)(OSPR) Marine Wildlife
Veterinary Care and Research Center (MWVCRC) is a 20,000 sq.ft.
facility designed to care for oiled wildlife in the event
of an oil spill. The MWVCRC was specifically built within
the range of the southern sea otter and is capable of caring
for 125 sea otters, but flexible enough to care for other
species of marine animals as well. Development of the Center
has been a cooperative effort between the OSPR, University
of California, Santa Cruz, and the University of California,
Davis Wildlife Health Center.
OSPR which is housed within the Department Fish and Game is
the lead State agency charged with oil spill prevention and
response within California's marine environment. The Lempert-Keene-Seastrand
Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act of 1990 established
OSPR and provides the OSPR Administrator with substantial
authority to direct spill response, cleanup, and natural resource
damage assessment activities.
The Oiled Wildlife Care Network strives to ensure that wildlife
exposed to petroleum products in the environment receive the
best achievable treatment by providing access to permanent
wildlife rehabilitation facilities and trained personnel that
are maintained in a constant state of readiness for oil spill
response within California.
The purpose of the oil spill web is to enhance the further
development of technology and knowledge within oil spill prevention,
oil spill response or oil spill cleanup, and oil pollution
remediation. The oil spill web aims to keep you up-dated with
the latest oil spill response equipment developments and experiences.
Marine oil spill response, remote detection, in-situ burning,
Orimulsion spill response, and dispersant spraying, will along
with bioremediation and other offshore and onshore hydrocarbon
pollution combat methods, be described in the Oil Spill Response
Handbook, in the Professional section, or in the Science section.
Among others, read about new developments, products, or contracts
in the Press Releases in the NEWS section.
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is a non-profit non-governmental
organization (NGO) involved with the investigation and documentation
of violations of international laws, regulations and treaties
protecting marine wildlife species. The Society is also involved
with the enforcement of international laws, regulations and
treaties when there is no enforcement by national governments
or international regulatory organizations due to absence of
jurisdiction or lack of political will. Oil spill alerts:
Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research has been responding to
wildlife involved in oil spills since 1976. Tri-State has
a trained, dedicated staff on call 24-hours-a-day to respond
to wildlife contaminated by oil spills anywhere in the world.
Tri-State is one of only two organizations in the country
that can professionally manage a response to a major spill.
Oil spill monitoring. Since 1994 Tromsø Satellite Station
has been responsible for the pre-operational Oil Spill Monitoring
Service based on satellite SAR data. Information on possible
oil spills is provided to the end users within two hours after
data acquisition.
General Publications, Guides, Forms and Instructions, Laws,
Regulations, Plans and Agreements, Links and Lessons Learned
Oil Spill Removal Organizations, Incident Specific Preparedness
Review Team Reports, The PREP Program, Area Contingency Plans/
Natural Resource Damage Assessment, Major Issues Concerning
Salvage and Marine Firefighting, Spills of National Significance
1997 Seminar, Reports.
Journal of Wildlife Diseases
Mission: to acquire, disseminate, and apply knowledge of the
health and diseases of wild animals in relation to their biology,
conservation, and interactions with human and domestic animals.
Concerns: infectious, parasitic, and toxic disease agents,
as well as nutritional, physiologic, developmental, and neoplastic
diseases of game, non-game, and endangered species; issues
related to wildlife relocation and wildlife rehabilitation,
zoological parks, public health, domestic and wild animal
interactions, comparative medicine, and ecosystem health.
The Journal of Wildlife Diseases publishes numerous articles
on the affects of oil and chemicals on wildlife. The Journal
is a benefit of membership of the Wildlife Diseases Organization.
Earthkind
Online newsletter
International Fund for the Welfare of Animals
Network News
Online newsletter of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network
Science Daily
ScienceDaily is one of the Internet's leading online magazines
and Web portals devoted to science, technology, and medicine.
The free service brings you breaking news about the latest
discoveries and hottest research projects in everything from
astrophysics to zoology. Searchable archives of news stories
on oil spills and related issues.
Emergency Care and Rehabilitation of Oiled Sea Otters:A Guide for Oil Spills Involving Fur-Bearing Marine Mammals
by Terrie M. Williams (Editor), Randall W. Davis (Editor)
Hardcover
Univ of Alaska Press
ISBN:0912006773
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Marine Mammals and the Exxon Valdez:
by Thomas R. Loughlin (Editor), Thomas R. Loughlon (Editor)
Hardcover: 395 pages
Academic Press
ISBN:0124561608
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Oil Spills:
by Joanna Burger
Hardcover
Rutgers University Press
ISBN:0813523389
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Silent Spill:The Organization of an Industrial Crisis
by Thomas D. Beamish
Hardcover: 232 pages
MIT Press
ISBN:0262025124
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The Exxon Valdez:(Great Disasters: Reforms and Ramifications)
by Tracey E. Dils, Tracy Dils
Library Binding
Chelsea House Pub (Library)
ISBN:0791057844
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The Oil Spill Handbook:
by
ISBN:
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