News
Wildlife response in Brazil aided by new OSRL facility
A new Oil Spill Response (OSRL) facility, opened on 13 March 2014 in Brazil, houses the organisation’s fourth state of the art subsea well capping system. Similar equipment for responding to offshore drilling rig incidents is staged at OSRL facilities in Singapore, Norway and South Africa. How does this help wildlife?
Update: 2014 seabird wreck kills nearly 30,000 birds
As reported earlier, the 2014 winter storm season has been extremely devastating to seabirds in France and the UK, with impacts in Spain as well. Initial reports mentioned oiled birds and birds covered in a sticky substance.
Oiled Wildlife Care Network seeks proposals for research grants
California’s Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) is now accepting proposals for its 2014-2015 funding cycle for research and technical development projects that seek to better understand the effects of oil on wildlife, to improve rehabilitation and post release monitoring techniques or to develop baseline biomedical data. Since 1996, the OWCN has provided more than 2 milllion USD in funding for more than 100 projects.
Exxon Valdez Exxon Valdez Alaska sea otter population declared recovered
It has taken nearly 25 years, but scientists tracking the health of sea otters in western Prince William Sound have found enough evidence to consider the population recovered from the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
Exxon Valdez Exxon Valdez Oil spill still making news after more than 20 years
A poster presentation at the 2014 Ocean Sciences Meeting (23-28 February) provides a reminder that the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS) is still affecting the shorelines of some of Alaska’s national parks.
Studies link crude oil to developmental abnormalities in fish
Two separate studies published in early 2014 have shown links between exposure to crude oil and fish health problems. One study compared Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis) from areas oiled during the Deepwater Horizon spill with killifish from unoiled areas. The second study looked at the mechanism behind crude oil heart toxicity in juvenile yellowfin (Thunnus albacares) and bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus).
Storms bring large numbers of seabirds ashore in Europe: Some are oiled. Updated 27.2.2014
In the first few weeks of February 2014, following a series of storms with winds of up to 160 kilometers per hour, seabirds have been washing up on the beaches of France, the Channel Islands, and the UK.
As railroad oil spills increase, Canada and US transport authorities review safety standards and response plans
In January 2014, the US National Transportation Safety Board and Canadian Transportation Safety Board jointly issued recommendations for improving rail transport of dangerous goods. In the US, in addition to urging the government to put in tougher safety measures, state governments are looking at developing response plans specific to oil spills from rail tank cars.
US EPA to require Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants on ships as of December 2013
The Environmental Protection Agency (US) has released its new Vessel General Permit (VGP) regulations, which now include the requirement to use Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants (EALs) in areas where there is contact between the lubricated part and the sea.
Deepwater Horizon Deepwater Horizon Deepwater Horizon oil spill link to dolphin health examined
Scientists are trying to determine how much the Deepwater Horizon incident has affected the health of bottlenose dolphins in Barataria Bay. To do so they must separate those health issues that might be directly linked to oil exposure during this particular incident from other natural or human caused problems.