9/6/11

Nine pelicans and one western gull that were exposed to fish-oil in Crescent City were released today after being washed by dedicated staff and volunteers at the Humboldt Wildlife Care Center.

On August 24 Arcata-based Bird Ally X, a non-profit advocate for wildlife and wildlife rehabilitation, received word of Brown Pelicans in trouble in Crescent City Harbor. Young
pelicans were contaminated with "fish oil." coming from the cleaning stations at the public dock.

The next morning, Bird Ally staff, in partnership with Humboldt Wildlife Care Center went to Crescent City and discovered at least 2 dozen juvenile Brown Pelicans heavily contaminated. Large bins of fish-waste at a local cleaning station were open to the young, inexperienced birds, eager for an easily gotten meal. It takes experience and maturity to get your living from the cold waters of the North Pacific and these birds, fresh from the nest, rely on bays and sheltered coves as training ground for a life at sea. Use to being fed by their parents, it is an easy switch to scavenging and begging. Securing the fish-waste bins was the first step toward solving the problem. An easy fix, HWCC, working with the Crescent City Harbor District, added hinged lids to the bins. Less easy is the rescue and rehabilitation of the impacted wildlife.

"Fish-oiled" birds require treatment almost exactly as if they had been caught in an oil spill. They need first and foremost to be washed, but they also require medical attention, food and medicine. Housing before being washed is needed, as well as housing that provides room to recover and regain strength so that they may be released back into the wild.

Humboldt Wildlife Care Center is committed to providing that care. Had this been a petroleum oil spill, the State of California has in place a response network to care for impacted wildlife. Fish oil however is beyond the legal mandate of this network. While HWCC has the support of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network and California Department of Fish and Game in tackling this problem, the financial cost of the level of care these birds need is high. Each pelican can eat up to 10 pounds of fish every day. We are relying on the North Coast community, and beyond, to help us give these birds another chance.

So far, the HWCC has spent over $4000 responding to this event, not including food - 110 pounds of night smelt every day. 

To donate or volunteer, contact them at

Humboldt Wildlife Care Center, PO Box 4141, Arcata Ca 95518

822-8839

or visit their Oiled Pelican site for updates and more info.