Oil-Spill Residue Found in Minnesota Pelican Eggs

As Congress dithers over funding for Gulf restoration, here’s another reminder that the 2010 BP disaster may still be affecting birds and other wildlife. Researchers have discovered pollutants from the 2010 spill in the eggs of White Pelicans nesting in western Minnesota. These birds winter in the Gulf region, where they are exposed to lingering contaminants. This lends fresh urgency to Gulf restoration efforts, a top Audubon priority.

American White Pelican Conservation

American White Pelicans travel up the Mississippi Flyway to Minnesota from wintering grounds in the Gulf of Mexico each spring. This year, two years after the BP oil spill in the gulf, researchers for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources discovered pollutants from the spill in the eggs of pelicans nesting in western Minnesota. This included evidence of petroleum compounds and the chemical dispersent used to clean up the oil.

About one-third of the world’s breeding population of White Pelicans is found in Minnesota, and Audubon Minnesota has identified the striking birds as a “Stewardship Species” and made them the focus of special conservation efforts. In May 2012, a team from Audubon Minnesota, North Dakota State University, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Nongame program fitted five adult pelicans them with satellite-linked GPS tracking units. These units will transmit hourly readings on the birds’ locations, providing new insights into where they are foraging in the summer, their migration strategies, and how they use the gulf during the winter. This will help us learn more about the threats they encounter along the way, including risks posed by oil and other pollutants in the gulf and elsewhere.

In the News

Report from Minnesota Public Radio, May 16, 2012. Researchers for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources have found evidence of petroleum compounds and the chemical used to clean up the oil in the eggs of White Pelicans nesting on islands on Marsh Lake in western Minnesota. Petroleum compounds were present in 90 percent of the first batch of eggs tested. Nearly 80 percent of the eggs contained the chemical dispersant used in the gulf. Read the MPR news story on researchers' efforts to learn how petroleum compounds affect developing bird embryos.

From Audubon, News from the Network

Mississippi Flyway Edition