Pollution source leaving seabirds 'oiled' along Irish coast remains a mystery

The source of the pollution that has 'oiled' and even led to the deaths of some birds off Ireland's east coast remains a mystery.

Nature Minister Malcolm Noonan has established a €50,000 emergency fund for the seabirds and wildlife that have been impacted.

Around 100 seabirds have been picked up following the incident, with a number dying after coming into contact with the mystery substance, with sightings of impacted birds occurring between north Dublin and as far south as Carnsore Point in Co Wexford.

READ MORE: Mark Ruffalo accuses Irish government of 'breaking its promise to stop LNG'

Environment Minister Eamon Ryan has asked the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate the source of the pollution after Coastguard efforts to locate it in Irish waters proved unsuccessful.

The Irish Mirror contacted England's Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Natural Resources Wales and HM Coastguard to ask if they had received any pollution incident reports.

A HM Coastguard spokesperson said: "HM Coastguard has no current reports of pollution or oiled wildlife in the Irish Sea."

The Welsh authorities said they also had no reports of "oil pollution along the coast". DEFRA is yet to respond but The Irish Mirror has asked them whether they think there could be a possible link between an oil spill on the River Mersey at the end of April and the incident.

Minister Malcolm Noonan said: “The situation that has emerged along the East Coast is shocking and extremely concerning. While the cause is currently unclear, it’s obvious that wildlife has been affected horribly.

Read More
Related Articles

Ireland now home to a mysterious new species of beetle that may have come from Australia
Read More
Related Articles

Basking sharks out in force in Irish waters

“To support the relief effort, I have established an emergency fund for the care and rehabilitation of seabirds and other wildlife affected in this incident.

“I’d like to pay tribute to the volunteers and organisations at the frontline working to save these birds, and also to the regional staff of the National Parks and Wildlife Service who have been on the ground since the news broke yesterday.

“We will work to save as many of the birds as possible. Minister Ryan has asked the EPA to investigate - this is most welcome.”

Birdwatch Ireland has been helping with the rescue operation. Its head of policy and advocacy, Oonagh Duggan, told The Irish Mirror they don't know what the cause of the pollution is.

She added: "It just goes to show that wherever the oil spill is from, it's very hard to monitor what happens in the seas.

"When we are looking at protecting our seas... offshore renewables and the whole future of protection, it's really important that we just keep that in mind and be doing our best to monitor what is happening out there. We need to have good resources.

Read More
Related Articles

Ireland's first marine national park to include world famous site featured in Star Wars
Read More
Related Articles

Irish politicians' 'credibility' questioned as climate crisis set to inflict 'increasingly heavy bill' on Irish taxpayers

"I think it's been 100 birds so far that have been picked up," she added.

"I thought we were done with the whole oil spills issue considering that the [Irish] government has stopped giving offshore licenses for drilling but it just goes to show you that while there is oil in circulation, things can happen. We need to get off fossil fuels."

Kildare Wildlife Rescue first responder volunteer, Pearse Stokes, told RTE’s Morning Ireland around 90 per cent of the birds they are finding are still alive but are becoming weaker, which could make them prey for other animals.

He added: “What happens with birds when they get oil on their feathers, they lose their waterproofness and essentially they’re floating in the sea and taking on water and it cools them and cools them and cools them.

“I saw seals here preparing to predate some of these, so we’re going to have seals now ingesting oil. So, that’s going to have its own set of problems downstream.

Around 100 birds have been found 'oiled' so far with a number dying
(Image: Birdwatch Ireland)

“It’s tip of the iceberg stuff. We expect a good number of weeks’ fallout from this at least.”

The group has asked the public not to pick up or try to help any oiled birds they spot for health and safety reasons .

Instead they are urging people to take a video of the animal and send it with a location pin and contact details to info@kwr.ie.

Dog walkers are being urged to keep their animals on a lead to protect the birds and stop the pollution spreading.

Join the Irish Mirror’s breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive breaking news and the latest headlines direct to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.