The main objective of this project was the development of a Handbook on Seabird Population Impact Assessment. As part of the project a scientific workshop was held in La Coruña, Spain in September 2006 where scientists from across Europe discussed the contents of the Handbook and identified the main issues with regards to the integration of Impact Assessment into oiled wildlife response and the wider oil spill response. The workshop aimed to define best practices with regards to the collection of dead oiled seabirds in the aftermath of an oil spill incident and the subsequent necropsy and data analysis. It also examined which data on (seasonal) seabird distribution would be needed by oil spill managers in the early stages of an incident, to be used in the decision making process on environmental protection.

In total, 38 participants attended the workshop, including scientists, regulators and NGOs. Lectures were given on different available methodologies to trace the origin of seabirds (e.g. by biometry or genetic fingerprinting); case studies of past spills (Prestige, Tricolor, Erika, Estonia spills); the cooperation between NGOs and governments (Canada, UK); international compensation regimes, issues connected to certain regios (Baltic), and structures for international cooperation and exchange.

The main conclusions from the workshop were:

• Where possible, the impact of an oil spill incident on seabirds should be prevented, by using ideally pre-spill prepared information on the seasonal distribution of vulnerable species and consulting scientists in the planning of response operations
• Impact Assessment should be an integrated part of oil spill response planning
• There is a need for an internationally developed manual, protocol or set of guidelines that could be used to design an adequate, standardized system of data collection and analysis as an integrated part of oil spill response so that a reliable assessment of impact on wildlife populations can be made.

The digital Handbook is kept up to date and can be accessed by clicking here. Please visit the Royal NIOZ website for additional information.
Partners:

• Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) (lead)
• University A Coruña
• Sea Alarm

Duration: february 2006 - august 2007

Results: development of the Handbook on Seabird Population Impact Assessment