Overview of Bird Search and Rescue and Response Efforts During the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

ABSTRACT The Exxon Valdez oil spill presented the International Bird Rescue Research Center with a variety of unique and unprecedented challenges. One was the development and management of two search and rescue programs: one in Prince William Sound, with the home base being Valdez, and the other along the Kenai Peninsula, with Seward as home base. Local fishing boats, float planes, and personnel were organized to create two functional search and rescue fleets that combed about 900 miles of coastline in search of live oiled birds and oiled carcasses. This effort resulted in the capture of 1,630 live oiled birds and the recovery of thousands of dead oiled birds and mammals. During most oil spills only one oiled bird rehabilitation center is needed to care for all the affected birds. Strong currents began moving oil out of Prince William Sound and north along the Alaskan coastline. At the same time, public pressure to save the victims of the spill increased. It became evident that animal care services in even the most remote areas needed to be developed. Four oiled bird care centers and four search and rescue programs were strategically located near the most heavily affected areas to care for live oiled animals. This paper focuses on how both of the oiled bird search and rescue programs were created and functioned throughout the six-month-long oiled bird rescue and rehabilitation effort. It emphasizes the chronology of planning and decision-making processes during this crisis. Further discussion highlights how the search and rescue fleets coordinated their efforts with the rehabilitation centers for the greatest effectiveness. The paper also discusses the capture and safety techniques used during the actual pursuit of animals and the initial care and transportation of captured birds.