Bay of Fundy Beached Bird Survey 2005 Report

Transcription

1 Bay of Fundy Beached Bird Survey 2005 Report Greg Campbell Bird Studies Canada Atlantic Region P.O. Box 6227 Sackville, NB E4L 1G6 (506) January 2006 With support from: Nova Scotia

2 Introduction Oil pollution resulting from heavy sea traffic, whether from chronic operational discharges or accidental spills, has been estimated to kill as many as seabirds each year off southeastern Newfoundland (Wiese 2002). Like a pinhole in a diving suit, a drop of oil the size of a coin sentences the bird to a slow, painful death from hypothermia and starvation as its feathers lose their insulating and waterproofing properties. The bird also tries to preen itself clean of the oil, ingesting it in the process. This has been shown to lead to a decrease in immune system function, as well as damage to respiratory, alimentary and excretory tracts (Leighton 1991). The Bay of Fundy is an important area both for migrating shorebirds and colonial breeding birds, including Black-legged Kittiwakes, Double-crested Cormorants, Common Terns, Razorbills, Common Eiders, Common Murres, Atlantic Puffins, endangered Roseate Terns, and others ( Lock et al. 1994). BirdLife International ( has identified 14 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in the Bay of Fundy, and many other sites are protected either nationally or provincially as migratory bird sanctuaries, national wildlife areas and National and Provincial Parks. In addition, many non-governmental agencies, such as the Nature Trust of New Brunswick, the Nova Scotia Bird Society and Nature Conservancy have established protected sites in the area (Burnett and Hundert 1994). In addition to being an important area for millions of aquatic birds, the Bay of Fundy also includes a large volume of shipping traffic, mainly going to or from the port of Saint John NB. In 2001, over vessels and over 19 million tonnes of cargo passed through the port, as well as 23 million tonnes of oil. Most of the oil is bound for the Irving Oil Canaport Terminal in Saint John (Motluk 2004). The facility is capable of handling ultralarge crude carriers and unloads oil tankers into million barrel tanks (Newfoundland Oil Industries Association 2002). This puts the Bay of Fundy area at risk from both operational oil discharge as well as the possibility of a larger oil spill. Regularly repeated beached bird surveys, detecting both clean and oiled birds, have been widely used around the world to monitor mortality of seabirds (Burger 1993, Wilhelm 2004). BSC initiated the volunteer-driven Cape Breton Beached Bird Survey in 2001, and the British Columbia Beached Bird Survey in During the spring of 2005, BSC launched the pilot program Bay of Fundy Beached Bird Survey. The goal of the Bay of Fundy Beached Bird Survey is to conduct a pilot year to determine whether or not the project will prove useful in detecting bird mortality and oil pollution over the long-term. The primary objective is to use seabirds to provide an index of the type and amount of oil pollution and other mortality sources in the Bay of Fundy. This information can be used to ultimately protect coastal habitat and ecosystem integrity, by directly influencing new legislation and strengthening fines levied on polluters. (Beached Bird Survey data from Newfoundland recently led to a new legislation, bill C-15 being passed in Parliament that does just that). Beached bird surveys also provide a reliable index to assess if present and future treaties implemented to reduce oil pollution have had any impact. 2

3 We also intend to use survey data to determine what species of seabirds are most affected by oiling, what time of year the problem is most severe, and whether the proportion of oiled birds washing up on beaches is changing over time. Beached Bird Survey volunteers act as an early warning system by reporting living or dead oiled birds or oil patches on beaches; this allows agencies such as Environment Canada to respond quickly and prioritize spill clean-up in areas most sensitive for bird populations. Materials and Methods In order to promote the Bay of Fundy Beached Bird Survey program, a press release was sent to local and provincial newspapers in both Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Notices were also sent to naturalist clubs in the Bay of Fundy area. The project coordinator conducted a radio interview with CBC Saint John on Tuesday, March 22 nd. Training sessions for volunteers were held in Saint John, NB on March 17, Calais, ME on Saturday, March 26, and in Digby, NS on Saturday April 9. The session in Calais was binational, organized with the Seabird Ecological Assessment Network (SEAnet) from Tufts Center for Conservation Medicine, in North Grafton MA. Approximately 20 Canadian volunteers attended the three training sessions. Kits were sent to 39 volunteers in the Bay of Fundy in spring 2005 (21 from NB, 18 from NS). Kits included the volunteer manual, maps and data sheets, stamped envelopes, ruler and callipers. Volunteers were asked to survey their beaches once per month. They were encouraged to conduct their surveys at low tide, after the highest tide of the month. Surveyors recorded general weather/beach conditions at the start and at the end of the surveys (weather = cloud cover, precipitation, sea state, and tide and wind direction; beach conditions = wrack thickness and continuity, extent of ice, and amount of oil pollution). When beached birds were found, volunteers were instructed to tag the carcass, if possible, and leave the remains for collection of carcass persistence data. Volunteers were asked to identify the bird to the most specific taxonomic level possible (species, family, etc.) given the state of decomposition and volunteer identification skill level. Presence of oil on carcasses was also noted, using the scale created for the Newfoundland Beached Bird Survey. This is a five-point scale, in which 0 indicates clean feathers (no oil); 1) slight oiling which does not totally penetrate the breast feathers or coat the wings; 2) moderate oiling, penetrates the base of the feathers or saturates wings, less than 25% of body oiled; 3) heavy oiling, oil penetrates to base of feathers and more than 25% of body oiled; 4) unknown, less than half of body remains, impossible to determine if oiled. In addition, volunteers also recorded the degree of emaciation of each bird in order to determine if starvation was the likely cause of death. This four-point scale was based on the shape of the breast: 1) Round: breast is rounded like a boat and the keel of the breastbone can barely be felt; 2) Even: breast slopes away from keel evenly; 3) Concave: the sides of the breast bow inwards like the concave hull of a sailboat; 4) Unknown: condition of carcass does not allow description. Also recorded was the presence or absence of entanglements on the carcass (fish line, six-pack holder, etc.), sex and age class, and suspected cause of 3

4 mortality. Volunteers also noted the presence of any visible live oiled birds on the beach or in the water. Volunteers were supplied with maps of the beaches they were assigned, on which they indicated the start and end points of their surveys. Beach lengths were then calculated using Touratech QV version 2.5. Results and Discussion A total 119 surveys were conducted on 22 beaches (totaling km) from March 16 th 2005 to December 31 st 2006 (Table 1, Figure 1). Twelve beaches were surveyed in New Brunswick and 10 in Nova Scotia, with a total of over 123 hours of volunteer effort. All but two of the beaches were surveyed at least twice. Survey effort was relatively stable throughout the year, with anywhere from 8 to 15 surveys per month being conducted from April to December (Figure 2). Only 11 beached birds were discovered during the surveys. The beached birds included 5 unidentified gulls, 3 Herring Gulls and 3 Great Black-backed gulls. The unidentified gull that was found on Yarmouth Bar appeared to have been shot. The cause of death for the other birds is unknown. Figure 1: Bay of Fundy Beached Bird Survey beach locations and Important Bird Areas. 4

5 Table 1: Beach-by beach results for the Bay of Fundy Beached Bird Survey, March 16 th 2005 to December 31 st Beach number/name Number surveys Beach length (km) Total distance (km) Time (mins) Beached birds NB01/Mispec NB02/Red Head NB03/Little River NB04/Cranberry Point NB05/Duck Pond NB06/Reeds NB07/Sheldon Point NB08/Seal Cove NB09/Chamcook NB10/New River NB11/Maces Bay NB12/Castalia NS01/Morden NS02/Bear Cove NS03/Scots Bay NS04/Cottage Cove NS05/Yarmouth Bar NS06/Beautiful Cove NS07/Fox Point NS08/Port Greville NS09/Wasson s Bluff NS10/Parrsboro Roads Number of surveys Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Figure 2: Number of beached bird surveys conducted per month. 5

6 Deposition rate In order to compare the rate of carcass deposition between beaches of different lengths, we divide the number of beached birds found by beach length. This gives us a standard measure of the number of beached birds per kilometre of beach surveyed. The deposition rate also enables us to compare with other Beached Bird Surveys around North America. The total deposition rate for all beaches in the Bay of Fundy Beached Bird Survey in 2005 was birds/km. This is considerably lower than those observed in other areas (Table 2). One factor that could explain this difference is that winter surveys (January to March) have not yet been conducted in the Bay of Fundy. The additional stress placed on seabirds by colder water and air temperatures during the winter months generally lead to higher beached bird deposition rates in the North Atlantic (Simons 1985). Higher deposition rates have also been observed from December to April in Cape Breton (Campbell 2005). Another factor that may be influencing the number of beached birds being found on Fundy beaches is the tidal range. The Bay of Fundy is best known for its extraordinary tides, with a tidal range of 16 meters in some areas (Lock et al. 1994, Percy 1996). The large tidal variations may be either carrying dead birds out of the Bay of Fundy before they are beached, or they may be carried off with the next tide (i.e. prior to being discovered by surveyors) if they are beached. Oiling The oiling rate is the percentage of beached birds with oiled feathers. The effects of oiling have been shown to be a major cause of mortality in beached birds in Newfoundland and Cape Breton (affecting 62% and 43% of beached birds, respectively, in these regions). Oiling appears to be less significant on the west coast of North America (Smith 2004, COASST 2005). No oiled birds were found during the course of the Bay of Fundy Beached Bird Survey. However, one oiled Herring Gull was discovered by our volunteer at Beautiful Cove beach (NS06) while taking a walk on June 4 th. The bird was alive when it was discovered, but died shortly thereafter. As a result of the materials provided to surveyors, she contacted Environment Canada s Environmental Emergencies Hotline and was able to send the (then deceased) bird to Environment Canada for full assessment (type and source of oil, cause of death, etc.). Only one report of beach oil was received during the survey period. One small patch of oil was observed on Mispec beach (NB01) on May 29 th The surveyor noted an oily sheen high up on the beach, near the wrack line. 6

7 Table 2: Comparisons of different beached bird survey results (BBS) in North America Location # beached birds Oiling rate Deposition rate (birds/km) Reference Bay of Fundy BBS (2005) 11 0% This report BC Beach Watch ( ) % 0.37 ± SD 0.56 Burger 2002 BC BBS ( ) % 0.24 Smith 2004 COASST Washington and Oregon ( ) % varies by region COASST 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 Newfoundland BBS ( ) % 2.25 Wiese and Ryan 2003 Cape Breton BBS ( ) % 0.12 Campbell 2005 Seanet New England states ( ) % 0.19 (± 0.07) SEANET 2004 Recommendations 1. It is our recommendation that the survey should be extended for at least one more year. It is difficult to make any conclusions with regards to the survey with only one year of data given annual fluctuations in weather, shipping and other factors. Any future actions or recommendations based on these results would be based on insufficient information. 2. Efforts should be made to include greater coverage of beaches throughout the Bay of Fundy. Most surveys (nearly half) are either in the Saint John NB or Minas Basin areas. Long stretches of coastline remain unsurveyed and thus their potential as areas of beached bird or oil deposition remains unknown. 3. In order to better understand the effects of tides and currents in the Bay of Fundy, an analysis including beached bird survey data from other areas in the Gulf of Maine could be undertaken. The tidal effect in the Bay may be taking birds and oil from the Bay of Fundy to other beaches along the coast of Maine or Massachusetts. Collaboration with SEANET in the United States could yield more accurate information on the numbers and displacement of dead birds and oil patches in the Gulf of Maine. Acknowledgements Thanks to the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment and Environment Canada s EcoAction for funding this project. Environment Canada s Canadian Wildlife Service provided office space and logistical support for the Project Manager and Project 7

8 Coordinator. Becky Harris of SeaNET and Todd Hass of COASST provided input into survey design and delivery. Becky Whittam of Bird Studies Canada provided comments on earlier drafts of this report. Thanks also to the Survey volunteers: Melvin Purchase and Donna Murphy, Ginnie Perry, Janet Moore and Calum Nairn, Marilyn Jones, Bill Carroll, Christine Callaghan, David Harris, Elan Cole, Hank Deichmann, Bob and Trudy Melvin, George and Jane Adams, Ben Curry, Carmen and Peter Roberts, Leanna and David Good, Muriel Sawler, and Kevin Halcrow. References cited Burger, A.E Mortality of seabirds assessed from beached bird surveys in British Columbia. Canadian Field-Naturalist 107: Burger, A.E Beached Bird Surveys In British Columbia, Report to the Nestucca Trust Fund, 31 August Alan Burger Consulting, Victoria BC. Burnett, S. and E. Hundert Protecting Our Natural Heritage: Conservation Areas in Atlantic Canada. Atlantic Region Protected Areas Working Group. Sackville, New Brunswick. Campbell, G Cape Breton Beached Bird Survey Four-year Report Unpublished report by Bird Studies Canada (Atlantic Region), Sackville, NB. COASST. 2002, 2003, 2004, Coastal Observation And Seabird Survey Team, Reports 01-02, 02-03, 03-04, J.K. Parrish, ed. University of Washington, Seattle, Wa. Leighton, F.A The Toxicity of Petroleum Oils to Birds: An Overview. In: The Effects of Oil on Wildlife. Jan White (Ed.). The Sheridan Press, Hanover, Pennsylvania. Lock, A.R., R.G.B. Brown and S.H. Gerriets Gazetteer of marine birds in Atlantic Canada: an atlas of seabird vulnerability to oil pollution. Canadian Wildlife Service, Atlantic Region. Motluk, E.A Aquatic Bird Vulnerabilities to Oil Spills in the Bay of Fundy, Canada. M.Sc. thesis, Dalhousie University. Halifax, Nova Scotia. Newfoundland Oil Industries Association (NOIA) Irving Oil Canaport. Accessed on January 10th

9 Percy, J.A Tides of Change: Natural Processes in the Bay of Fundy. Fundy Issues #2. Bay Of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership (BOFEP) Accessed on January 9th SEANET Seabird Ecological Assessment Network Volunteer Newsletter, December Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine. URL: Accessed on January 10th Simons, M.M Beached Bird Survey Project on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. American Birds 39: Smith, T BC Beached Bird Survey Newsletter Unpublished report by Bird Studies Canada (BC Region), Vancouver, BC. URL: Accessed on January 9th Weise, F.K Seabirds and Atlantic Canada s Ship-Source Oil Pollution: Impacts, Trends, and Solutions. World Wildlife Fund Canada, Toronto, Canada. Weise, F.K, and P.C. Ryan The extent of chronic marine oil pollution in southeastern Newfoundland waters assessed through beached bird surveys Marine Pollution Bulletin 46: Wilhelm, S Lessons from the Netherlands: A review on methods used to assess marine issues in the North Sea. Internal report, Canadian Wildlife Service, Darmouth, NS. 9