The first Steering Group meeting of the EMPOWER Network will be held in Brussels on 8th May. This is the first meeting of the representatives from the nine Founding Members of the Network, who are tasked with drafting the rules…
We are delighted to announce that after nine years of planning, lobbying and construction works, VOC Ostend, an EMPOWER Founding Member, has opened its new Rehabilitation Centre. The new building has the capacity to treat 400-500 oiled birds at a time, and can be upgraded within 24 hours, enabling the centre to treat up to 1000 birds.
Representatives from the coastal municipalities, national authorities, rehabilitation 
centres and scientific institutes will get together on 9th April in the Hague to officially sign the Netherland’s national oiled wildlife contingency plan. Sea Alarm has been invited to give an introduction to oiled wildlife response, and additional scheduled events include a practical demonstration on bird cleaning techniques and the collection of dead animals.
Due to the heavy seas caused by Cyclone Hamish off the coast of Queensland, Australia, the Pacific Adventurer lost thirty-one containers holding ammonium nitrate on 10th March, puncturing two fuel tanks in the process. The subsequent oil spill, estimated to be up 42 tonnes, contaminated pristine beaches in a large area of south-east Queensland.
Fortunately, the spill seems to have had a minimal effect on birdlife.
In March, Hugo Nijkamp attended a meeting at the Ministry of Environment in Tallinn, Estonia together with representatives from the Estonian Ministry of Environment, the HELCOM Secretariat and WWF Finland. Together, the participants discussed a proposal that will be submitted at upcoming HELCOM RESPONSE meeting in September, which seeks to integrate oiled wildlife response into the existing Helcom Response Manual.
Whilst in Tallinn, Hugo also met with Agni Kaldma and Juri-Ott Salm of the Estonian Fund for Nature (ELF), the local partner and co-host of the 10th Effects of Oil on Wildlife Conference.
On 14th February, an estimated 500-1000 tonnes of oil spilled out into the Celtic Sea, close to where the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov was refuelling, threatening the Irish and Welsh coastlines. The Irish Marine Department described the spill as the biggest spill to hit the area in a decade. Although no oiled birds were found washed up on the shorelines, mainly because the spill occurred so far off shore, experts believe that seabirds must have been affected as high densities of wintering birds are normally found in the area.
The Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) sponsors up to US$ 250,000 per year in support of research necessary for improving oiled wildlife spill response and the understanding of the short- and long-term effects of oil on wildlife. The OWCN is currently seeking research proposals from wildlife professionals interested in furthering OWCN goals.
In an insightful podcast interview, Jay Holcomb, the Executive Director of the International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC), gives a touching account of his involvement in the six-month long response effort in the wake of the Exxon Valdez disaster, which occurred on 24th March 1989 and ultimately killed more than 300,000 seabirds.
Sea Alarm published an article in the Spring 2009 edition of the Cleaner Seas magazine, which outlines how an international wildlife response operates, which challenges could arise and the way forward.
Sea Alarm was also featured in the New Zealand Wildlife Health Centre’s Newsletter (Issue 2) in March 2009.
There have been a number of changes to the Sea Alarm Board in 2008. Dr. Ian White retired as Vice-Chairman; Mr. Rutger Strengers retired as Treasurer; and Mr. Jim Conroy and Mr. Jan Rusin retired as Board Members. Sea Alarm is delighted to welcome Mr. Chris Morris, who succeeds Dr. Ian White as Vice-Chairman, and Mr. Lon Langlois who succeeds Jan Rusin.
In November 2008, Sea Alarm, together with eight partner organisations, founded the EMPOWER (European Management Programme for Oiled Wildlife and other marine Emergency Responses) Network. Represented by Sea Alarm, the EMPOWER Network, develops and supports the implementation of policies and activities that promote a professional preparedness to marine wildlife emergency response in all coastal European countries.
Sea Alarm is pleased to announce that Rosalie e’Silva joined Sea Alarm in November 2008 as the Communication and Public Relations Officer. Rosalie initially worked for Sea Alarm for a three-month period from February and has rejoined the team on a more permanent basis.