Oily birds surfacing again near Change Islands

Oily birds are surfacing again near Change Islands in Notre Dame Bay.

The waterfowl have been caught recently in the area where paper carrier the Manolis Lsank in 1985.

Local hunter Gene Richards said three of the four ducks that he shot on Monday had oil on them, adding that healso saw an oily slick on the water over the weekend.

Richards said the sunken carrier is a disaster waiting to happen.

"The right thing to do is get something on the go and get that oil out of that boat, because this is only peanuts compared to what it's going to be down the road, eventually, when her tanks collapse," he said.

"And that's a big recipe for disaster in this area for sure."

Meanwhile, aDFO spokesperson said the Coast Guard received a report from two seabird hunters in the Fogo Island area last weekend, who reported taking four lightly-oiled Eider ducks.

Arrangements have been made to collect samples for testing at theEnvironment Canada lab in Moncton, which will test todetermine the source of the oil.

On Oct. 17, an underwater survey was conducted of the ship's hull. The inspection found all the neoprene seals were holding, and the coffer dam was working properly.

The Coast Guard will continue to monitor and manage the Manolis L site. Further aerial surveillance flights are planned, weather permitting.