OILED SEABIRDS - COMPARATIVE INVESTIGATIONS ON OILED SEABIRDS AND OILED BEACHES IN THE NETHERLANDS, DENMARK AND GERMANY (1990-93)

In a 3-year inventory of oil pollution on the coasts of the Netherland s, Denmark, and Germany, oily residues from ships' engine rooms were i dentified as the main, common source of oil found in birds' feathers a nd on beaches. Illegal discharges of oil-sludge from 'normal' shipping operations lead to a widespread distribution of oil on the coasts. On this kind of pollution are superimposed single, more severe cases of pollution in the Netherlands and Germany which originate from the tran sport of oil and chemical products by tankers. One major new finding o f the Oiled Seabirds project, however, is that the northwestern coast of Denmark is also continuously affected by crude oil pollution. Illeg al discharges from crude oil tankers at the outlet of the Skagerrak ar e the source of this kind of pollution. The great number of cases of s evere crude oil pollution in this area might mean that illegal dischar ges from crude oil tankers leaving the Baltic Sea are common practice. The high level of oil pollution documented on the Danish west coast a nd in the Netherlands indicates that the current surveillance by aircr aft is inadequate, and that improvement of counter-measures is needed. The detection of products other than mineral oil, such as dodecylphen ol, bis-phenol, vegetable oil or different kinds of paraffin wax, in t he feathers of birds or on beaches is a second striking feature.