Techniques for hazing and deterring birds during an oil spill.

Preventing wildlife from becoming oiled is the priority in an oiled wildlife response. This is achieved through diverting spilled oil away from wildlife, or hazing, deterring, or excluding wildlife from oiled areas. This paper undertakes an international review of techniques deployed for hazing and deterring birds, the taxa most affected, during oil spills. Using these techniques as a baseline it then compares what techniques are used in New Zealand at airports, in agriculture, and at waste management facilities, to assess what could readily be deployed in New Zealand during oil spills, as currently there are few options planned for. As international literature suggests, the best technique is to use a variety of methods for targeted species to reduce habituation. This review highlights international practices that could be tested and implemented, to allow for planning for effective hazing and deterrence practices in New Zealand.

Lessons Learned for Pre-Emptive Capture Management as a Tool for Wildlife Conservation during Oil Spills and Eradication Events.

Pre-emptive capture or translocation of wildlife during oil spills and prior to pest eradication poison applications are very specific conservation goals within the field of conservation translocation/reintroduction. Protection of wildlife from contamination events occurs during either planned operations such as pest eradication poison applications, or unplanned events such as pollution or oil spills. The aim in both incidences is to protect at-risk wildlife species, ensuring the survival of a threatened regional population or entire species, by excluding wildlife from entering affected areas and therefore preventing impacts on the protected wildlife. If pre-emptive capture does not occur, wildlife may unintentionally be affected and could either die or will need capture, cleaning, and/or medical care and rehabilitation before being released back into a cleared environment. This paper reviews information from pre-emptive captures and translocations of threatened wildlife undertaken during past oil spills and island pest eradications, to assess criteria for species captured, techniques used, outcomes of responses, and lessons learned. From these case studies, the considerations and planning needs for pre-emptive capture are described and recommendations made to allow better use and preparedness for pre-emptive capture as a preventative wildlife conservation tool.

Does size matter? The direct economic costs associated with the MV Rena oil spill.

The MV Rena ran aground on the 5 October 2011 off the coast of New Zealand, releasing over 350 t of heavy fuel oil. The environmental effects of this spill are well documented, however, little research has been undertaken regarding the short term economic losses observed because of the spill. By looking at pre- and post-spill trends for commercial fisheries and tourism in the area, as well as the clean-up and restoration costs, the direct costs associated with the MV Rena oil spill can be estimated. Overall, net losses of NZD 45,479,017 were observed. This research adds to the limited economic reports regarding small/medium oil spills, and demonstrates that even these smaller spills are capable of having a sizeable impact on local economies.

Post-release breeding success of oil-rehabilitated and non-rehabilitated little blue penguins, Eudyptula minor, following the M/V Rena oil spill, New Zealand.

During the 2011 M/V Rena oil spill in Tauranga, New Zealand, 383 little blue penguins (LBP, Eudyptula minor) were oiled, rescued and rehabilitated, with 90.6% surviving to be released back to the wild. We monitored the post-release breeding success of rehabilitated LBPs to assess the effectiveness of the rehabilitation process. Breeding success was monitored during the first breeding season post-release (2012-13) to assess productivity for both rehabilitated and control penguins (breeding pairs of rehabilitated or non-oiled (control) birds). Egg laying, hatching and fledging success rates for pairs of rehabilitated and control penguins were both within ranges reported for other LBP colonies in Australia and New Zealand. The only significant difference between rehabilitated and control pairs was that hatching success was reduced in the first season after release for rehabilitated pairs. Overall, rehabilitation appeared to reverse most potential negative effects of oiling on the post-release breeding success of rehabilitated LBP.