Abstract
Between May and August 1984, 381 Kittiwakes ( Rissa tridactyla) (28 fully fledged young and 353 nestlings) were picked up from the base of the seabird cliffs on Helgoland (German Bight). Each was weighed, measured, and dissected. In particular, the gastro-intestinal tract was examined and the liver weighed. Twenty of the 28 fledglings were internally oiled. Fuel residues and crude oil from a North Sea oil-rig (Beatrice Field) were responsible for the contamination. Both the body weight and the liver weight of the oiled birds were found to be significantly below normal. The age-unrelated parameter ‘body weight/liver weight quotient’ (BLQ) was applied and revealed a significantly high value in the contaminated gulls. The BLQ can be used as an index for the rapid diagnosis of concealed internal oiling and possibly of other diseases or environmental repercussions. All the data indicate that oil contamination causes impairment of liver function and physical growth, which, in the sample examined, leads to debilitation and death.
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