BEACHED BIRD SURVEYS ON SABLE ISLAND, NOVA SCOTIA, 1993 TO 2009, SHOW A DECLINE IN THE INCIDENCE OF OILING

Abstract

Sable Island, located about 160 km southeast of the landmass of NovaScotia, Canada, is far offshore and provides a platform for beach surveysto monitor oil pollution in Scotian Shelf waters. Sporadic beach surveysconducted there during the 1970s and 1980s indicated that oiled birds andbeached tar were common occurrences. During a survey program fromJanuary 1993 to December 2009, more than 10,800 bird corpses werefound in 171 surveys covering a total of >13,500 km of shoreline. Sixtyfourspecies were recorded, of which 52 were seabirds and waterfowl.The numbers of beached birds and species composition exhibited largefluctuations, which reflected both the seasonal distribution of species andthe effects of weather and beach conditions. The oiling rate of corpsesfor all seabirds and waterfowl combined was 28.6%, and ranged from ahigh of 69.9% in 1996 to a low of 1.4% in 2009. Alcids had the highestrates of oiling (averaging 54.3%), while lower rates were observed forshearwaters (1.9%) and Larus gulls (2.4%). The results of the 1993-2009surveys, as well as those of earlier studies in the 1970s and 1980s, indicatea declining trend in the oiling rate of beached birds on Sable Island.Keywords: oil pollution, marine pollution, seabird oiling rate, beachedbird survey, Sable Island