21-11-04

Heart wrenching images of birds struggling to free themselves from oil has become more common in Atlantic Canada, where environmentalists say illegal oil dumping is killing hundreds of thousands of birds.

Millions of sea birds flock to the Atlantic coast to nest, or just to winter, every year between November and February. The birds come to feed on a rich diet of plankton and bait fish.

But the cold weather also forces vessels to move closer to shore, to avoid ice cover. Some of the boats, intentionally or accidentally, dump oil in the water.

"You always hear about the large accidents, the oil spills, the Exxon Valdezes, but they're a small part of the overall problem," says 'Bird Studies Canada' volunteer surveyor Maureen Cameron. “Bird Studies Canada” -- a non-profit organization -- estimates that about 300,000 birds die every year from oil pollution.
"Chronic oil pollution is really what we're seeing the most of, and what's causing the most sustained damage to our seabird populations," says Cameron.

The birds swim through the oil, which penetrates their feathers. This decreases the birds' insulation from the cold, and also damages their waterproofing and buoyancy. They inevitably die from hypothermia or starvation.
Most of the birds killed are murres and dovekies, says Bird Studies Canada. They winter in northern Atlantic Waters, and spend most of their time on the ocean surface. But dozens of other species of bird are affected.

Cameron surveys the shore line to see how many birds are being killed, what species are most susceptible, and may even help trace the oil back to specific vessels. She says Ottawa needs to a take a strong stand against oil dumping.
"We need more regulations for ships, better, stiffer fines," says Cameron. "More surveillance, so that people will be encouraged to take their dirty bilge water to shore."

Those changes may be coming. In early November, the federal government presented Bill C-15, An Act to amend the Migratory Birds Convention Act (1994) and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (1999) to a Second Reading in the House of Commons.
The bill calls for increased fines of up to $ 1 mm and additional powers for enforcement officials to redirect and detain ships suspected of having polluted our ocean waters.

Source: Bell Globemedia Inc.