On 22 March 2014, a collision between a bulk container ship and a barge in a busy Texas shipping channel near Galveston resulted in a spill of approximately 168,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil off the Texas City Dike. Birds and sea turtles have been affected, with some dolphin mortalities in the area being investigated.
7 April update:
Dolphin and sea turtle strandings were reported by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on 31 March. Twenty-one dolphins, most of whom were not visibly oiled, washed up dead near Galveston, and on Mustang Island which is west of the shipping channel where the spill occurred. This area is also within 100 miles of the waters being monitored by NOAA under an Unusual Mortality Event involving hundreds of dolphins. Post mortem examination results on these animals are not available yet. Four sea turtles have also been seen. Two were captured alive and are currently undergoing rehabilitation.
South Matagorda Island is the focus of special attention as two endangered species utilise this barrier island. Whooping cranes winter on South Matagorda and Kemp's Ridley sea turtles nest there in spring. The whooping cranes have begun their migration, with approximately 30% of the birds gone at present. Cleanup efforts are being managed to minimise disturbance to the remaining birds. Beaches are also being monitored for the arrival of the turtles.
4 April update:
As of 3 April, 329 birds, most of them dead, have been recovered. Many more birds have been observed at typical feeding sites and migration stopover points with small amounts of oil on them and officials concede that there are likely many more that are partially oiled and not seen as birds on migration do not stay in any area for long.
At Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary and other sites where potentially affected birds might be found, the Houston Audubon Society is continuing its short-term monitoring for impact from this spill. As this process winds down the group will continue their Texas Shorebird Survey work, begun in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon incident. This project, carried out in cooperation with the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society, the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory and the Manomet Center for Conservation Science, will provide long-term data on shorebirds found in the area to better understand their ecology and the status of their populations.
25 March update:
At least 50 birds have required treatment and eight were found dead as of early 25 March. Among the six species reported by Houston Audubon Society's conservation director are sanderling, ruddy turnstone and American white pelican. Some of the birds were rescued from the Bolivar Flats Sanctuary. Oiled loons and ducks were reported by another source. Husbandry and rehabilitation trailers are now staged on the Texas City Dike, Bolivar Peninsula and a third designated rehabilitation site.
At this time of year, in addition to the early migrants birds, many species which overwinter in the area are still present. In Texas City, cannons are being used to haze birds away from the oil-affected areas. Weather conditions have favored the oil moving out in the Gulf Of Mexico where it is already forming into tar balls. This reduces potential impact on the wetlands within the bay but the potential effect on the Gulf is not clear at this time.
69,000 feet of boom has been deployed in an effort to protect the intertidal wetlands on either side of the shipping canal, where many of the birds rest and feed. The marsh grasses, in addition to being crucial feeding and sheltering areas for birds, fish and invertebrates, as also serve as water filters and storm surge buffers. If the grasses that are the core of these intertidal wetlands are destroyed, erosion will destroy the fragile habitat.
Local ferry service has resumed but ships in transit to or from the area will not be allowed to travel until the Coast Guard determines it is safe to travel through the area and that vessels entering and exiting will not increase the spread of oil.
Initial report
The shipping channel remains closed to most vessel traffic as of 24 March, as cleanup continues.
The oil spill occurred less than 2 miles from the Houston Audubon Society's Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary, a regular spring stopover site visited by thousands of migratory birds. A wildlife rehabilitation trailer, deployed by the Texas General Land Office, has been set up, however, to date only 10 affected birds have been recovered. No details are available regarding those birds in care, however the US Coast Guard, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Texas Parks and Wildlife are prepared to respond to other reports of oiled wildlife.
The remainder of the oil on the barge, approximately 900,000 gallons, has been lightered off but the oil that spilled has spread from Texas City to Galveston, posing a threat to other migratory bird stopovers in the area. Booms have been placed near sensitive shorelines but wind and rough waters are reducing their effectiveness and oil continues to spread into the Gulf of Mexico and along Galveston Island.