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Department of Ecology News Release - August 1, 2006
06-140
OLYMPIA - A 1991 oil spill that significantly affected seabird populations along Washington's outer coast has resulted in 200 years of protection for 900 acres of coastal forests, which are critical nesting areas for federally-protected marbled murrelets.
Tribal, state and federal officials today are in Neah Bay to commemorate the completion of a $5.2 million habitat restoration plan to offset damages to Washington's fish and wildlife populations during the 1991 Tenyo Maru oil spill.
A cornerstone of the plan is the 200-year protection of 900 acres of coastal forest nesting habitat for marbled murrelets.
The endangered seabird birds were harmed by oil after the Japanese fishing vessel Tenyo Maru sank in 540 feet of water about 23 miles northwest of Cape Flattery. The Tenyo Maru sank immediately after it was struck by the Chinese freighter Tuo Hai in heavy fog on July 22, 1991.
Over the next month, the vessel released more than 100,000 gallons of oil, a poison to the marine environment, into coastal waters. The spill fouled beaches and killed wildlife from Vancouver Island to northern Oregon. The heaviest oiling occurred along the Makah Indian Reservation and Olympic National Park shoreline.
Scientists estimate that 7 to 11 percent of the marbled murrelet population along Washington's outer coast may have been killed in the oil spill.
Besides marbled murrelets, the spill killed thousands of other seabirds, including murres, auklets, tufted puffins and pigeon guillemots. Oil also lingered in giant kelp beds from Cape Alava north to Tatoosh Island and from Tatoosh Island east to Waadah Island.
"The spill couldn't have come at a worse time for area seabirds," said Dick Logan, who leads natural resource damage activities for the Washington Department of Ecology's oil spill prevent and response program. "Fledging birds had just come off their nests and were foraging for food. Since the young birds were unable to fly, most got oiled and died."
The U.S. Coast Guard and other federal agencies, the State of Washington, coastal Indian tribes, and the parties responsible for the spill cleaned up as much of the oil as possible. Responders recovered 4,000 dead birds - just a fraction of those actually killed.
The owner of the Chinese freighter that collided with the Tenyo Maru paid a $9 million penalty that went into a special fund created by tribal, state and federal agencies: $5.2 million was earmarked for restoration and preservation projects for marbled murrelets and other seabirds; the other $3.8 million went to recover response expenses for agencies that responded to the spill.
A committee representing the Makah Indian Tribe, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, state Ecology Department, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration used the restoration money to help pay for stationing a rescue tug at Neah Bay, undertaking scientific studies about nesting sites, and a long-term seabird census.
The committee purchased conservation easements for two parcels on Makah tribal land to provide future additional habitat for marbled murrelets: a 278-acre parcel in Waatch Valley, that includes 100 acres of old growth forest ($1.4 million), and a 277-acre parcel at Anderson Point that includes 200 acres of nesting habitat and 91 acres of second-growth timber ($2.1 million).
The committee also acquired a third parcel, purchased for $1.2 million at Teal Slough on Willapa Bay that has been permanently transferred to the Willapa Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
To raise public awareness about sensitive coastal marine resources, the committee also produced and distributed posters and installed wooden kiosks at the Cape Flattery and Shi Shi beach trailheads.
A copy of the Tenyo Maru Oil Spill Restoration Summary Document is available online at: http://www.fws.gov/westwafwo/
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Contacts: Curt Hart, Department of Ecology, 360-407-6990; cell:
360-480-7908
Taylor Pittman, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 360-753-4375; cell: 360-481-5311
US Fish and Wildlife Service, Western Washington Office Web site: http://www.fws.gov/westwafwo/
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
