The second and final report on the response Cosco Busan oil spill was released this month and there’s some very good recommendations on how to better coordinate wildlife responders in the event of another spill.
The recommendations included:
– Deploying more trained Search and Collection teams in a timely manner.
– Better communication between S&C teams and with supervisors.
– Improving security and enforcement in public areas where large numbers of oiled birds in distress are in need of collection. (Many oiled animals were scarred by out-to-lunch Joe Q. Public types walking dogs, running on beaches in sensitive areas where cold, tired and oiled birds beached themselves).
Also, the Oiled Wildlife Care Network’s (OWCN) Hotwash, a post spill meeting to shed light on the ups and downs of the response, provided a list of equipment that all Search and Collection teams need in the future. This included: maps, binoculars (made for low-visibility conditions), computers for entering data from field; flash lights, batteries, and redundant equipment. Some interviewees indicated that additional types of netting could be helpful in capturing groups of oiled birds.
The November 7, 2007 spill hit San Francisco Bay after the Cosco Busan container ship dumped 54,000 gallons of bunker oil into the waters during prime migratory bird season. The Coast Guard’s response and other state agencies has been under fire for it’s slow reporting efforts and its lackluster efforts to capture distressed birds in a timely fashion.
IBRRC is a long-time OWCN network member and its management and contract employees made many recommendations that were included in the final report.
The report is entitled: Incident Specific Preparedness Review (ISPR), M/V Cosco Busan Oil Spill in San Francisco Bay. PART II AND FINAL REPORT. It was released on May 7, 2008.
Download the full 80 page report here:
http://www.uscgsanfrancisco.com/posted/823/Final_ISPR_15MAY08.203130.pdf
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