264
A. NELSON-SMITH
Most cleansing processes remove natural as well as polluting oils and
do further damage to the plumage, so the birds have to be kept at least
until they are again naturally oily and usually until they have moulted
(a new but relatively untried treatment coats the plumage with wax
as it removes the contaminating oil). Auks are very difficult to keep in
captivity even when healthy. They eat only fresh fish (preferably taking
it from the water themselves), require sea water and are very subject
to fungal infections or other diseases and deficiencies. When the
survivors are finally released they are often too tame to resume independent life. It seems possible that they never resume breeding, so
they do not contribute to the recovery of the colony. Nevertheless,
breeding (as yet unsuccessful) has been reported in a pair of captive
guillemots (Marsault, 1969) and it seems possible that jackass penguins
Spheniscus demersus (Linn.) can be rehabilitated successfully in South
Africa (Westphal, 1969). Bourne (196th) and Clark (1968, 1969) suggest
that more research ought to be devoted to the improvement of failing
auk colonies, for example by providing artificial ledges from which eggs
would not be lost, or to methods of scaring birds from known slicks.
Some form of acoustic buoy, drifting with the slick, would also assist
in tracking the oil or relocating it if lost.
E. Public amenity and the tourist industry
Sea shores and coastal waters are used by commercial or amateur
fishermen and sailors as well as other sportsmen, naturalists, and
holidaymakers in general. I n harbours and enclosed waters, fresh oil
is a direct danger when it constitutes a fire risk. It is also a hazard to
coastal power stations, which usually draw sea water for cooling from
docks or estuaries. Oil in the water may cause an explosion in the
condensers and after a serious spill they have to be shut down (as at
Hayle, Cornwall, in 1967). It is now generally accepted that floating
oil has little direct effect on commercial fisheries (see, for example,
Simpson, 1968), although sunken oil may smother or taint shellfish and
foul nets or other gear. Indirect effects on the planktonic young stages
and on organisms providing food or shelter can be guessed at from the
data assembled above. Korringa (1968) has called attention to an
additional indirect effect. After the much-publicized " Torrey Canyon "
spill, fish sales in Paris dropped dramatically regardless of the origin of
the fish. Amateur fishermen are more likely to experience direct
effects, as they operate close in shore if not from the beach itself,
seeking coastal fish with bait taken from the shore.
Marine pursuits of all kinds have become increasingly popular and
A. NELSON-SMITH
Most cleansing processes remove natural as well as polluting oils and
do further damage to the plumage, so the birds have to be kept at least
until they are again naturally oily and usually until they have moulted
(a new but relatively untried treatment coats the plumage with wax
as it removes the contaminating oil). Auks are very difficult to keep in
captivity even when healthy. They eat only fresh fish (preferably taking
it from the water themselves), require sea water and are very subject
to fungal infections or other diseases and deficiencies. When the
survivors are finally released they are often too tame to resume independent life. It seems possible that they never resume breeding, so
they do not contribute to the recovery of the colony. Nevertheless,
breeding (as yet unsuccessful) has been reported in a pair of captive
guillemots (Marsault, 1969) and it seems possible that jackass penguins
Spheniscus demersus (Linn.) can be rehabilitated successfully in South
Africa (Westphal, 1969). Bourne (196th) and Clark (1968, 1969) suggest
that more research ought to be devoted to the improvement of failing
auk colonies, for example by providing artificial ledges from which eggs
would not be lost, or to methods of scaring birds from known slicks.
Some form of acoustic buoy, drifting with the slick, would also assist
in tracking the oil or relocating it if lost.
E. Public amenity and the tourist industry
Sea shores and coastal waters are used by commercial or amateur
fishermen and sailors as well as other sportsmen, naturalists, and
holidaymakers in general. I n harbours and enclosed waters, fresh oil
is a direct danger when it constitutes a fire risk. It is also a hazard to
coastal power stations, which usually draw sea water for cooling from
docks or estuaries. Oil in the water may cause an explosion in the
condensers and after a serious spill they have to be shut down (as at
Hayle, Cornwall, in 1967). It is now generally accepted that floating
oil has little direct effect on commercial fisheries (see, for example,
Simpson, 1968), although sunken oil may smother or taint shellfish and
foul nets or other gear. Indirect effects on the planktonic young stages
and on organisms providing food or shelter can be guessed at from the
data assembled above. Korringa (1968) has called attention to an
additional indirect effect. After the much-publicized " Torrey Canyon "
spill, fish sales in Paris dropped dramatically regardless of the origin of
the fish. Amateur fishermen are more likely to experience direct
effects, as they operate close in shore if not from the beach itself,
seeking coastal fish with bait taken from the shore.
Marine pursuits of all kinds have become increasingly popular and