Prestige: Impact on birds
The records regularly established by the Bird Protection Association
(LPO), collaborating with its Portuguese and Spanish counterparts,
show, at the end of January 2003, that the penguin family birds
coming from northern Europe to winter in the Bay of Biscay were
the main victims of this pollution.
In Spain, the reports of the Oleiros healthcare centre (La Coruña)
dated January the 31st counted 4,331 dead birds and 1,383 treated
ones. Among the 53 struck species, 37% of the oiled birds are guillemots,
21% are razorbills and 21% are monk puffins.
In Portugal, the results for January the 28th listed 121 treated birds and 697 dead. Among the 14 struck species, 49% are guillemots, 29% are razorbills and 3% are monk puffins.
On
the French Atlantic coasts, the birds polluted by the fuel from
the Prestige arrived significantly in January 2003 with a total
reaching 1,257 dead birds and 699 alive at the end of the month.
Among the 24 struck species, guillemots stand for 78% of the registered
birds, monk puffins 7% and razorbills 6%. Except for the penguin
family, gannets represent 4%.
Oiled seabirds were found for the first
time in Spain on 15 November, in Portugal on 6 December and in France
on 28 December 2002. All in all, 23,000 oiled birds were collected
and recorded along these three seaboards.
In France, in view of the threat and the likelihood
of beachings of oil, the authorities implemented a number of measures
to account for the risks involving bird populations (from the Pyrenees
to Brittany). Many associations rallied round and offered their
assistance to help the oiled birds. Preventive measures were taken
to set up coastal monitoring networks and oiled bird collection
teams all along the French Atlantic seaboard.
A small oiled razorbill (Source LPO/Munier)
In Charente maritime, all of the birds alive or dead were collected and pooled before being sent to the « Marais aux Oiseaux » on Oleron island for first aid and were then sent to the Nantes School of Veterinary Medicine where they were given rehabilitation services in pools. After the massive arrivals of oiled birds in Aquitaine, the DIREN (Regional Environment Department) was requested by the area Prefect to organise and co-ordinate a rescue plan. The birds were first collected on the beaches then sent to one of the three emergency first aid centres in the western Pyrenees (Helgalaldia) in the Landes (FDC 40) and in Gironde (Bretagne Vivante and UFCS).
On 16 May 2003, in Spain and Portugal, 20238 birds were oiled (source: SEO-Birdlife) and 2831 oiled birds were collected in France. As the tanker is still a threat today, the system used last winter may still have to be redeployed in case of new arrivals of FO.
Last update: June 2003