The California Department of Fish and Game oil spill contingency 

 plan and members of the designated teams are activated. They 

 use patrol boats and aircraft to monitor the oil slick and 

 to determine the number of birds and mammals in the area. 

 Trained Department of Fish and Game personnel bring in bird- 

 cleaning equipment and establish collection and treatment 

 facilities. The Department coordinates and directs public 

 volunteer efforts to assist in the rescue and treatment of 

 oil -contaminated birds and marine mammals. The Department 

 of Fish and Game also utilizes research boats and marine biologist 

 diving teams to document the effect of the spill on the marine 

 environment. 



If the spiller can be identified, if he is financially responsible, and 

 if he is taking the necessary steps agreed upon by the State and Federal agency 

 coordinators to contain and remove the spilled oil, both the State and Federal 

 efforts are limited to monitoring and advising. If, on the other hand, the 

 spiller is unknown, or the spill is beyond his financial capacity to handle, 

 or if he refuses to take the necessary steps to contain and remove the spill, 

 the federal agency coordinator assumes the actual contracting for the containment 

 and removal operations. The costs are paid for out of the National Pollution 

 Revolving Fund administered by the Coast Guard. 



This, then, is one State's view of oil spill planning. Each of you 

 will find varying degrees of readiness in the States and local governments 

 in your areas of assignments and responsibility. Nonetheless, you should 

 make yourself aware of their plans so you can interface your own plans and 

 thereby obtain the maximum use of personnel and facilities to accomplish the 

 necessary goals. 



Now, let us talk about birds. 



I mentioned earlier that the California Department of Fish and Game has 

 trained personnel to establish bird collection stations and treatment facilities. 

 We have this capability simply because of necessity. When the oil well blew 

 out in the Santa Barbara Channel in 1969, we were not prepared to treat oil- 

 contaminated migratory or resident birds. We did everything wrong. We tried 

 every conceivable cleanser from kerosene to butter, to cornmeal, to detergents. 

 The treatment facilities were makeshift, and the treatment techniques were 

 administered by untrained personnel. As I recall, we managed to kill about 

 97 percent of the birds we treated. Secondly, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

 Service knew as little about cleaning birds as we did and stayed in the background. 

 As the years rolled by, the Service has continued this hands-off policy. 



We are extremely heartened by the knowledge that the Service is actively 

 preparing contingency plans for response to oil spills. How you interface 

 your plans with existing State plans will be a major problem and of keen interest 

 to the States. 



As far as bird-cleaning and treatment are concerned, we are in much better 

 shape today, thanks to a lot of research and practical experience. I will 

 not discuss the mechanics of bird-cleaning because other speakers will do 

 that. What I would like to talk about is our experience in California regarding 

 planning and execution. 



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