- Email: [email protected]
Krill endangered
Marine Polh,tion Bulletin
of the Thames estuary dumping ground (MAFF, Directorate of Fisheries Research, Fisheries Research Technical Report No. 62, 1981). It appears that the benthic fauna is much sparser than that measured in the previous survey in 1972, but this is largely due to natural fluctuations, due to the instability of the sediments in the area. However, it is concluded that current rates of dumping have exceeded the dispersive capacity of the area, and organic matter and metals have accumulated in certain areas. This has resulted in the growth of pollution indicator species to the detriment of natural fauna. The affected area is small, but it is an early warning that the dumping grounds are fully exploited and the Thames clean-up will need to be set against environmental impoverishment of the dumping grounds in the outer Thames estuary. Dealing with pollution is often a matter of shifting the damage from one place to another. It is understandable that legislators in Westminster should have more regard
Spotlight on 1981 UK Oil Spill Incidents An oil spill from a tanker berthed at a refinery in Eastern Scotland was cleared up before many officials knew it had occurred. Five tonnes of fuel oil from the Border Pele at the BP Refinery in Grangemouth spilled out during the night, and the company paid for an immediate clean-up operation. This was completed by 6 a.m. the following morning. This is one of the many and varied incidents detailed in the Advisory Committee on Pollution of the Sea (ACOPS) Survey of Marine Oil Pollution around British shores last year. Among others are: Between January and March last year chronic pollution affected more than 90km of Norfolk coast, and more than 4000 oiled seabirds were recovered. About 75070 of these were alive. Ships flying the flags of Argentina, Egypt, Finland, Malta, Liberia and the UK were responsible for most oil pollution of open sea and ports along the south coast of England during 1981. A total of £26 000 was spent in 23 clean-up operations, and in one incident alone £4000 was spent dealing with just three tonnes of oil which remained ashore for six days. A Peruvian vessel is thought to have escaped prosecution for discharging oil, despite being caught in the act. The ship Inca Capal Yupanqui was suspected of dumping oil off the Essex and Kent coast of England, but when an aircraft was despatched to investigate, the vessel stopped discharging before it could be photographed. A sudden increase in the number of oil spills off Eastern England last year was almost entirely due to pollution from the wreck of the German vessel Ems. The ship sank in January after a collision near the coast of Norfolk, and at least 15 spills were reported. The sharp rise of 88% in slicks sighted off Eastern England was almost entirely accounted 296
for the stench emanating from the Thames than for the accumulation of metals or organic material in a small area in the outer Thames estuary. Whether or not salmon run up the Thames is largely a romantic matter, though with economic connotations (the Times leader suggested that a beat on the Chiswick towpath could cost a hundred guineas a day). Current thinking in Europe is leaning towards abolishing dumping in the sea altogether. Has much thought been given to the alternatives? The maj or contributor of pollution to the North Sea is the Rhine. If the Rhine is brought up to the standard of the Thames, what then will happen to the waste? For all the warning signs from the Thames estuary dumping grounds, no damage to fisheries or natural resources is indicated. Why not dump? We accept waste tips on land, why not in the sea? R. B. CLARK
for by the wreck of theEms. An immediate partial clean-up operation began using more than 17 000 1. of dispersants at a cost of almost £32 000. Seabirds in Loch Broom, Scotland, suffered on three separate occasions when East European mackerel processing vessels discharged effluent into the area. The birds were affected by oil found in the effluent, reported by a number of organizations as a yellow-green scum, although the discharge itself is technically not a polluting substance.
Krill Endangered Overfishing of krill, a tiny shrimp-like crustacean, could damage the ecosystem of the whole Atlantic Ocean, according to an Earthscan report in Bulletin Vol. 5, Nos. 4 & 5. The krill is at the centre of the Antarctic food web eaten by whales, squid, fish, seals and birds. But now there is concern that the soaring harvest of krill by man, in particular the Soviet Union, could deplete several species. The problem was high on the agenda at the first formal meeting of the Commission to implement the Convention on Antarctic Marine Living Resources in Tasmania this year. The convention specifies that nations harvesting species in the Southern Ocean must consider the interrelationship of the different marine populations and aim to restore depleted species. But not enough is known to establish a precise quota of harvestable krill, which would not damage the ocean's ecosystem. The Soviet Union has the lion's share of the current harvest - estimated at one million tonnes a year, compared with 300000 tonnes in 1979-80. It is thought this could soar to between five and ten million tonnes in a matter of years, with an overall annual potential of ten times that amount. Protein-rich krill harvests could offset poor Soviet grain harvests and end political dependence on grain imports from the West. The latest interest in the subject has been sparked by a krill 'surplus' in the Antarctic, caused by overfishing and depletion of the baleen whale, which feeds on krill. Overfishing of krill itself could deplete
V o l u m e 1 3 / N u m b e r 9 / S e p t e m b e r 1982
"Talk about evolutionary adaptation
--
they're spraying some kind of biological detergent!"
several species, particularly the already threatened giant whale, at the top of the food chain. And in the extreme cold of the Antarctic, fish grow very slowly and so the rate of recovery would be correspondingly slow.
Report on N. Sea Metal Pollution More than half of all the heavy metal compounds causing pollution in the North Sea come from the air, with Great Britain as the prime offender, according to a report. The major atmospheric sources are likely to be industrial emissions and, in the case of lead, car exhausts. According to an unpublished report from Britain's Water Research Centre, highlighted in the New Scientist, prevailing winds and the long North Sea coastline account for the UK's share of the blame. The report is the first full review of the problem, and reveals some surprising facts. It claims that Britain's controversial sludge dumping in the North Sea of metal-contaminated sewage- which is under international pressure to be banned-accounts for just 2% of the pollution. Instead, it argues that most of the remaining metal pollution, aside from atmospheric sources, comes from rivers leading into the North Sea, especially the Rhine. Metals entering the North Sea from the Rhine system, which passes through the heart of industrial Germany, France and the Netherlands, accounts for 7740 tonnes a year. Although some environmentalists have linked the metal pollution with declining fish stocks, the report says that a more likely cause is over-fishing. Pollution is concentrated in the southern region of the North Sea, with about half of the pollution being located in 7.5% of the sea,
Greek Shippers Set 'Good Example' The Greek Shipping Industry, representing the world's largest merchant marine fleet, has launched a major new environmental initiative aimed at helping restore the health of the oceans. In a declaration of voluntary commitment, signed by the Union of Greek Shipowners and the seamen's unions, which expressed confidence that ship-generated marine pollution "can virtually be eliminated with sufficient effort and good will" the Greek Shipping Community announced the formation of the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association (HELMEPA). With headquarters in Athens, this organization will set up a computerized statistic data bank to monitor oil spills and other ship-created environmental problems and feed information to international conservation organizations. The director general of the World Wildlife Fund, Charles de Haes, said "This declaration is an example that needs to be followed not only by other countries in shipping, but also by other industries. It is an important step forward in the implementation of the World Conservation Strategy."
How Oil Pollution Incidents Get Covered Up Although there have been serious incidents which received little attention in the past, the north-east coast of Scotland has had comparatively little trouble from oil pollution in recent years. When a number of oiled birds were reported to have come ashore last spring, I therefore went along to 297
of the Thames estuary dumping ground (MAFF, Directorate of Fisheries Research, Fisheries Research Technical Report No. 62, 1981). It appears that the benthic fauna is much sparser than that measured in the previous survey in 1972, but this is largely due to natural fluctuations, due to the instability of the sediments in the area. However, it is concluded that current rates of dumping have exceeded the dispersive capacity of the area, and organic matter and metals have accumulated in certain areas. This has resulted in the growth of pollution indicator species to the detriment of natural fauna. The affected area is small, but it is an early warning that the dumping grounds are fully exploited and the Thames clean-up will need to be set against environmental impoverishment of the dumping grounds in the outer Thames estuary. Dealing with pollution is often a matter of shifting the damage from one place to another. It is understandable that legislators in Westminster should have more regard
Spotlight on 1981 UK Oil Spill Incidents An oil spill from a tanker berthed at a refinery in Eastern Scotland was cleared up before many officials knew it had occurred. Five tonnes of fuel oil from the Border Pele at the BP Refinery in Grangemouth spilled out during the night, and the company paid for an immediate clean-up operation. This was completed by 6 a.m. the following morning. This is one of the many and varied incidents detailed in the Advisory Committee on Pollution of the Sea (ACOPS) Survey of Marine Oil Pollution around British shores last year. Among others are: Between January and March last year chronic pollution affected more than 90km of Norfolk coast, and more than 4000 oiled seabirds were recovered. About 75070 of these were alive. Ships flying the flags of Argentina, Egypt, Finland, Malta, Liberia and the UK were responsible for most oil pollution of open sea and ports along the south coast of England during 1981. A total of £26 000 was spent in 23 clean-up operations, and in one incident alone £4000 was spent dealing with just three tonnes of oil which remained ashore for six days. A Peruvian vessel is thought to have escaped prosecution for discharging oil, despite being caught in the act. The ship Inca Capal Yupanqui was suspected of dumping oil off the Essex and Kent coast of England, but when an aircraft was despatched to investigate, the vessel stopped discharging before it could be photographed. A sudden increase in the number of oil spills off Eastern England last year was almost entirely due to pollution from the wreck of the German vessel Ems. The ship sank in January after a collision near the coast of Norfolk, and at least 15 spills were reported. The sharp rise of 88% in slicks sighted off Eastern England was almost entirely accounted 296
for the stench emanating from the Thames than for the accumulation of metals or organic material in a small area in the outer Thames estuary. Whether or not salmon run up the Thames is largely a romantic matter, though with economic connotations (the Times leader suggested that a beat on the Chiswick towpath could cost a hundred guineas a day). Current thinking in Europe is leaning towards abolishing dumping in the sea altogether. Has much thought been given to the alternatives? The maj or contributor of pollution to the North Sea is the Rhine. If the Rhine is brought up to the standard of the Thames, what then will happen to the waste? For all the warning signs from the Thames estuary dumping grounds, no damage to fisheries or natural resources is indicated. Why not dump? We accept waste tips on land, why not in the sea? R. B. CLARK
for by the wreck of theEms. An immediate partial clean-up operation began using more than 17 000 1. of dispersants at a cost of almost £32 000. Seabirds in Loch Broom, Scotland, suffered on three separate occasions when East European mackerel processing vessels discharged effluent into the area. The birds were affected by oil found in the effluent, reported by a number of organizations as a yellow-green scum, although the discharge itself is technically not a polluting substance.
Krill Endangered Overfishing of krill, a tiny shrimp-like crustacean, could damage the ecosystem of the whole Atlantic Ocean, according to an Earthscan report in Bulletin Vol. 5, Nos. 4 & 5. The krill is at the centre of the Antarctic food web eaten by whales, squid, fish, seals and birds. But now there is concern that the soaring harvest of krill by man, in particular the Soviet Union, could deplete several species. The problem was high on the agenda at the first formal meeting of the Commission to implement the Convention on Antarctic Marine Living Resources in Tasmania this year. The convention specifies that nations harvesting species in the Southern Ocean must consider the interrelationship of the different marine populations and aim to restore depleted species. But not enough is known to establish a precise quota of harvestable krill, which would not damage the ocean's ecosystem. The Soviet Union has the lion's share of the current harvest - estimated at one million tonnes a year, compared with 300000 tonnes in 1979-80. It is thought this could soar to between five and ten million tonnes in a matter of years, with an overall annual potential of ten times that amount. Protein-rich krill harvests could offset poor Soviet grain harvests and end political dependence on grain imports from the West. The latest interest in the subject has been sparked by a krill 'surplus' in the Antarctic, caused by overfishing and depletion of the baleen whale, which feeds on krill. Overfishing of krill itself could deplete
V o l u m e 1 3 / N u m b e r 9 / S e p t e m b e r 1982
"Talk about evolutionary adaptation
--
they're spraying some kind of biological detergent!"
several species, particularly the already threatened giant whale, at the top of the food chain. And in the extreme cold of the Antarctic, fish grow very slowly and so the rate of recovery would be correspondingly slow.
Report on N. Sea Metal Pollution More than half of all the heavy metal compounds causing pollution in the North Sea come from the air, with Great Britain as the prime offender, according to a report. The major atmospheric sources are likely to be industrial emissions and, in the case of lead, car exhausts. According to an unpublished report from Britain's Water Research Centre, highlighted in the New Scientist, prevailing winds and the long North Sea coastline account for the UK's share of the blame. The report is the first full review of the problem, and reveals some surprising facts. It claims that Britain's controversial sludge dumping in the North Sea of metal-contaminated sewage- which is under international pressure to be banned-accounts for just 2% of the pollution. Instead, it argues that most of the remaining metal pollution, aside from atmospheric sources, comes from rivers leading into the North Sea, especially the Rhine. Metals entering the North Sea from the Rhine system, which passes through the heart of industrial Germany, France and the Netherlands, accounts for 7740 tonnes a year. Although some environmentalists have linked the metal pollution with declining fish stocks, the report says that a more likely cause is over-fishing. Pollution is concentrated in the southern region of the North Sea, with about half of the pollution being located in 7.5% of the sea,
Greek Shippers Set 'Good Example' The Greek Shipping Industry, representing the world's largest merchant marine fleet, has launched a major new environmental initiative aimed at helping restore the health of the oceans. In a declaration of voluntary commitment, signed by the Union of Greek Shipowners and the seamen's unions, which expressed confidence that ship-generated marine pollution "can virtually be eliminated with sufficient effort and good will" the Greek Shipping Community announced the formation of the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association (HELMEPA). With headquarters in Athens, this organization will set up a computerized statistic data bank to monitor oil spills and other ship-created environmental problems and feed information to international conservation organizations. The director general of the World Wildlife Fund, Charles de Haes, said "This declaration is an example that needs to be followed not only by other countries in shipping, but also by other industries. It is an important step forward in the implementation of the World Conservation Strategy."
How Oil Pollution Incidents Get Covered Up Although there have been serious incidents which received little attention in the past, the north-east coast of Scotland has had comparatively little trouble from oil pollution in recent years. When a number of oiled birds were reported to have come ashore last spring, I therefore went along to 297