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Murres Help Solve Spill Mystery

An unassuming black-and-white seabird was not only the victim of a mystery oil spill that has plagued the coast this winter between Point Reyes and Monterey Bay, but also offered critical clues as to the spill's location. The spill almost exclusively affected common murres, according to wildlife veterinarian Mike Ziccardi. Murres often raft on the surface of the water in large groups approximately 20-30 miles offshore, so if the source of the spill had been closer to shore, rescuers would likely have found other species covered with oil.

Knowledge of the birds' preferred habitat - combined with the fact that the Coast Guard had spotted an oily sheen a few miles southeast of the Farallones in December - helped investigators pinpoint the source of the oil, says Dana Michaels of Cal Fish & Game. In February, the Coast Guard sent down a remote operating device to investigate the S.S. Jacob Lukenbach, a steamship that had sunk near the Golden Gate Bridge in the 1950s with 457,000 gallons of fuel oil aboard. Investigators compared oil samples from the steamship with the oil coating the birds' feathers; results confirmed the Lukenbach as the culprit. Investigators now believe that oil from the Lukenbach was responsible for similar bird oiling incidents in 1992-93, 1997-98, 1999 and 2001. Michaels says that certain winter air and water currents may have stirred up sediments or other blockages that kept the leaking oil from dispersing during other seasons.

Between November 2001 and February 2002, over 1,500 birds were found covered in oil from the Lukenbach. Of those, 627 were alive, and about 40% (a relatively high rate for oiled birds) were rehabilitated and released, according to Ziccardi, who is part of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network, a group of 24 agencies that works to rescue oiled wildlife.

The Coast Guard must now figure out how to prevent any further discharges of oil from the old wreck. The U.S. Navy Supervisor of Salvage has been called in for consultation, according to Lt. Tim Callister with the Coast Guard, who says the dynamic currents in the area surrounding the Lukenbach will make salvage a challenge. According to Callister, the Coast Guard will either stabilize, remove or plug the leaking vessel.

Contact: Dana Michaels (916) 327-9948 LOV

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