THE PROBLEM OF OIL POLLUTION O F THE SEA
265
costly along the coasts of industrially affluent nations. The paintwork of a speedboat or sails of a yacht are easily spoiled by oil ; the oil
is equally easily transferred t o boat-trailers, towing vehicles, caravans
and clothing. I n Milford Haven and elsewhere, yachtsmen in need of a
repaint have been observed to sail deliberately into a slick of known
origin, when they could be certain of compensation, but these are few
compared with the numbers who are forced to spend time and money
on cleaning and touching-up operations. Underwater swimming,
surfing and water-skiing are further sports of increasing popularity
which require expensive equipment-for
example, neoprene-foam
" wet suits " which can be ruined by contact with oil.
On almost any shore in western Europe, stranded oil is to be found
in rock crevices, in lumps along high-water mark or in patches beneath
the sand. Even if the swimmer, sunbather or walker avoids all obvious
traces of its presence, the warmth of his body as he sits on an apparently
clean area is likely to melt a hardened deposit, causing it to smear his
skin or stain his clothes. Many resorts in the south of England now
operate " detergent stations ') in addition to first-aid huts and lifeguards, where the worst of the oil may be removed. Nevertheless, oil
is carried or trodden into hotels, boarding-houses, caravans, cafhs and
places of entertainment, ruining their carpets and upholstery. The total
cost of cleaning, repainting or repair to the individuals affected, together with the cost to the public of beach cleaning and other services,
cannot be determined but must be large. The loss of seasonal income
from holidaymakers is potentially even greater. Many countries today
depend heavily on tourism (see Ricci, 1968) and it is economically the
fourth most important of British industries, earning as much as the
total of machinery exports. Cornwall alone has more than two million
visitors per year, spending between them nearly E40 million (Croft,
1959, and in discussion after Ricci's paper ; Cowa.n, 1968). The adverse
effect of a widely publicized disaster like the " Torrey Canyon )' wreck
can be countered by reassurances from government ministers and
agencies (which were not entirely founded on fact). After a slow start,
the Cornish holiday season in 1967 was a profitable one (Grieve, in
discussion after Ricci, 1968). Holiday areas can, however, acquire a
reputation for chronic pollution which increasingly keeps visitors away,
though they usually prefer not to admit to such a reputation, even in
the form of a denial. In any final analysis, to these economic considerations must be added the sheer unpleasantness and frustration of finding
the enjoyment of carefully chosen surroundings in hard-won leisure time
marred by defiling and unnecessary jetsam of the industrial society
from which most users of the sea-shore are seeking temporary escape.
265
costly along the coasts of industrially affluent nations. The paintwork of a speedboat or sails of a yacht are easily spoiled by oil ; the oil
is equally easily transferred t o boat-trailers, towing vehicles, caravans
and clothing. I n Milford Haven and elsewhere, yachtsmen in need of a
repaint have been observed to sail deliberately into a slick of known
origin, when they could be certain of compensation, but these are few
compared with the numbers who are forced to spend time and money
on cleaning and touching-up operations. Underwater swimming,
surfing and water-skiing are further sports of increasing popularity
which require expensive equipment-for
example, neoprene-foam
" wet suits " which can be ruined by contact with oil.
On almost any shore in western Europe, stranded oil is to be found
in rock crevices, in lumps along high-water mark or in patches beneath
the sand. Even if the swimmer, sunbather or walker avoids all obvious
traces of its presence, the warmth of his body as he sits on an apparently
clean area is likely to melt a hardened deposit, causing it to smear his
skin or stain his clothes. Many resorts in the south of England now
operate " detergent stations ') in addition to first-aid huts and lifeguards, where the worst of the oil may be removed. Nevertheless, oil
is carried or trodden into hotels, boarding-houses, caravans, cafhs and
places of entertainment, ruining their carpets and upholstery. The total
cost of cleaning, repainting or repair to the individuals affected, together with the cost to the public of beach cleaning and other services,
cannot be determined but must be large. The loss of seasonal income
from holidaymakers is potentially even greater. Many countries today
depend heavily on tourism (see Ricci, 1968) and it is economically the
fourth most important of British industries, earning as much as the
total of machinery exports. Cornwall alone has more than two million
visitors per year, spending between them nearly E40 million (Croft,
1959, and in discussion after Ricci's paper ; Cowa.n, 1968). The adverse
effect of a widely publicized disaster like the " Torrey Canyon )' wreck
can be countered by reassurances from government ministers and
agencies (which were not entirely founded on fact). After a slow start,
the Cornish holiday season in 1967 was a profitable one (Grieve, in
discussion after Ricci, 1968). Holiday areas can, however, acquire a
reputation for chronic pollution which increasingly keeps visitors away,
though they usually prefer not to admit to such a reputation, even in
the form of a denial. In any final analysis, to these economic considerations must be added the sheer unpleasantness and frustration of finding
the enjoyment of carefully chosen surroundings in hard-won leisure time
marred by defiling and unnecessary jetsam of the industrial society
from which most users of the sea-shore are seeking temporary escape.