An oil spill near a colony is one situation where it might be advisable 

 to use oil dispersants in an attempt to sink the oil. The advisability of 

 this action would depend on the nature and severity of the spill, the time 

 of year, and the potential for cleanup operations. Use of oil dispersants 

 may reduce immediate mortality to birds, but losses may occur in subsequent 

 years due to secondary poisoning effects that reduce the productivity of marine 

 organisms in the area (National Academy of Sciences 1975). 



The immediate needs in relation to the possibility of oil spills near 

 sea bird colonies are for identification of effective deterrent procedures 

 and strategies, and for minimization of the probability of an oil spill near 

 sea bird colonies. 



SUMMARY 



1. Despite the widespread use of bird deterrents for many years at airports, 

 in orchards, and in grain fields, proven methods of deterring birds 



from oil spills do not exist. 



2. Well-designed and documented experiments on potentially useful devices 

 are required and would be invaluable to all people faced with the 

 task of trying to keep birds out of oil spills. Documentation of 

 failures is as important as documentation of successes. 



3. Aspects that need to be considered in selecting deterrent devices 

 for experimentation or actual use include mobility of the device, 

 radius or effect of the device for various species, and rate of habit- 

 uation to the device by birds. 



4. Devices that may be most useful in aquatic and marine areas include 

 dyes, lights, distress and alarm calls, calls of predators, Av-Alarm, 

 shell crackers, mortars, exploders, and aircraft. 



5. The use of these devices in various types of areas is discussed. 

 Generally, it appears that methods are available for ponds and small 

 lakes, rivers, marshes, and perhaps coastal areas. This is not the 

 case, however, for offshore areas, areas of leads and ice, and areas 

 near sea bird colonies. Appropriate methods need to be identified 

 for these areas. 



LITERATURE CITED 



Bergman, G. 1961. Allin ja mustalinnum muuttokannat Kevaalla. Suomen Riista 

 14:69-74. 



Bourne, W. R. P. 1970. Special review after the Torrey Canyon disaster. 

 Ibis 112:120-125. 



Crummett, J. G. 1973. A study of bird repelling techniques for use during 

 oil spills. Report to American Petroleum Institute, Washington, D.C. 

 12 pp. 



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