Vol. 1, No. 2
Headline Back Issues
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Wildlife, habitat recovery so far appear successful in wake of Portland spill Portland, Maine -- Officials say wildlife and their habitats seem to be recovering following last fall's oil spill in Portland Harbor, but are reserving final judgment pending further observations through the summer. On September 27, the tanker Julie N. spilled about 180,000 gallons (681,372 liters) of oil after striking the bridge spanning the Fore River between Portland and South Portland. The oil spread along the upper Fore River with some reaching an area of the Gulf of Maine known as Stroudwater Marsh. State and federal agencies are assessing the resulting damage to natural resources, said Wildlife biologist John Kenney of Maine's Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife [DIF&W]. The information the assessment produces could prompt more study of the oil's effects on wildlife, their habitats and food supplies, and/or could result in habitat restoration projects. Officials noted that cleanup crews were able to recover 78 percent of the spilled oil, which helped control the extent of damage to fish, shellfish, bird, and mammal habitats. Nevertheless, long after the spill, enough oil remained in the marsh along the upper Fore River to coat birds "even if they were just stopping to rest," said Richard Dressler, another DIF&W wildlife biologist. However, unusually heavy rains last October flushed some of the oil out of the marsh, and wildlife experts say the area seems to be healing. "By and large, it's pretty clean," said Stephen Dickson, a marine geologist at Maine's Department of Conservation. Any oil remaining along the shoreline is less harmful, as many of its toxic components have evaporated, he said. This apparent recovery is good news in the long term, but some inhabitants weren't so lucky immediately after the spill. At least 27 birds died from the oil's damaging effects. Oil can break down the insulative properties of sea birds' feathers and poison birds who ingest it. And a bird weak enough to be captured by those intending to rehabilitate it is often not healthy enough to survive the treatment itself. Dressler also noted that his staff could not have rescued all of the affected birds without trampling oil deeper into the marshy ground, causing long-term habitat damage. He said they concentrated on rehabilitating birds that were captured along the edge of the oiled area, that had flown out of area, or that were brought in by other people. Of the 40 birds brought to rehabilitators, 12 were dead upon arrival, 12 were rehabilitated and released, 15 died during rehabilitation, and one bird had a broken wing (an injury apparently unrelated to the oil spill) and was turned over to a full time rehabilitation center for further recovery. Drew Major, a biologist at US Fish & Wildlife's New England office, said more shore birds could have been affected, but birds that usually breed in the area during the summer had already migrated south, while wintering birds had not yet arrived. Other animals seemed to escape serious harm after the spill. While harbor seals were spotted swimming in oily waters, none were found stranded or dead as a result, according to Linda Mercer of Maine's Department of Marine Resources (DMR). Also, said Mercer, "Lethal impacts on fish and shellfish were not detected during sampling immediately following the oil spill." |
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Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine