An oil spill that did not make front–page news when it occurred may have far reaching effects on the endangered northern rockhopper penguin (Eudyptes moseleyi). The impact of this disaster on the penguins and several other avian species, including the world’s smallest flightless bird, will not be known for some time.
In addition to the direct oiling of seabirds, there is concern that rats from the ship might make their way onto Nightingale Island, which has been rat-free, killing seabird chicks and eating their eggs. The Tristan de Cunha Conservation Department, working with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is setting traps and poison in hopes of preventing this problem.
Off Course Freighter Runs around on World’s Most Remote Islands
The freighter MS Olivia, carrying a cargo of soybeans, ran aground at Spinners Point, Nightingale Island in the Tristan de Cunha Archipelago on March 16, 2011. It broke apart, spilling its fuel oil into the waters surrounding the archipelago. The Tristan de Cunha Islands are in the Atlantic Ocean, 1,500 miles from Cape Town, South Africa and a long distance from any shipping lanes.
While it is not clear how the ship got so far off course, what is obvious is that there will be ongoing oil spill effects on this island group, which includes a World Heritage Site. Of greatest concern is how the oil will impact the thousands of birds found on the Tristan de Cunha Archipelago. Nightingale and Inaccessible Islands are home to thousands of breeding seabirds, with smaller populations found on Tristan and Middle Islands.
Northern Rockhopper Penguins and Other Rare Birds on Oil-Affected Islands
The remote location, lack of facilities for caring for oiled birds, and the large populations of breeding birds on the islands make the work of oil spill response specialists extremely difficult. Northern rockhopper penguins, recognized in 2005 as a separate species from southern rockhopper penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome), are listed as Endangered.
In addition to the northern rockhopper population of Tristan de Cunha and other Atlantic islands, there is a small population in the Pacific Ocean. But all populations of northern rockhopper penguin are in decline, increasing the concern over this oil spill.
Other bird species of concern include the Inaccessible rail (Atlantisia rogersi), listed as Vulnerable to Extinction on the IUCN Red List, the spectacled petrel (Procellaria conspicillata), only recently downgraded from Critically Endangered to Vulnerable status, and the great shearwater (Puffinus gravis). The Inaccessible rail is a tiny, flightless species that is vulnerable to oiling as it feeds on the shoreline, while petrels and shearwaters are pelagic species, encountering the oil offshore.
Four million (out of five million worldwide) nesting pairs of great shearwaters make their home on Nightingale and Inaccessible Islands. Spectacled petrels breed only on Inaccessible Island, causing concern that the recently recovered species’ ten thousand nesting pairs will also be hard hit.
Limited Access to the Tristan de Cunha Islands Hampers Oil Spill Response
The South African Foundation for the Conservation of Birds (SANCCOB), noted for their expertise in caring for oiled penguins, is mounting a response, aided by South American penguin specialists, who also regularly care for penguins affected by chronic oiling. The problem is getting to Tristan de Cunha, which has no landing strip and is four to seven days from just about anywhere by boat.
In the meantime, more birds are being oiled, and the longer the birds remain covered in oil, the less likely they are to survive. Once the oil spill response teams are there, being able to successfully clean the oiled seabirds will be difficult, as water quality and pressure play a major role in removing the oil and restoring waterproofing. But these dedicated responders, working closely with the Tristan de Cunha Conservation Department, will do whatever they can to protect and care for the birds of these remote islands.
Dawn M. Smith - A vet nurse, Dawn has worked in wildlife rehabilitation and conservation around the world in addition to her veterinary hospital ...
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