Tuesday 12 March 2013

Bad news on the horizon?


Zodiac boat in service workshop

Getting ready for the open sea

Engines and accessories collected
Tuesday 12th March comments: Another day down and another closer to the start of the Farne Islands season. Today the zodiac boats (a vital bit of kit for the team), engines and bits of boat equipment were collected from their winter servicing. We are slowly gearing up for a new season and for some, its starts soon, as Will departs the Isles of Scilly on Thursday to eventually arrive in the north-east at the weekend.

On a more serious note news broke this morning of an oil slick 42km long and 5km wide along the Yorkshire coastline (near Scarborough) and this couldn't be happening at a worse time. A lot of seabirds are returning to the North Sea to breed along the east coast and we are keeping our fingers crossed that the impact of this slick will be minimal. Reports suggest the heavy seas are breaking the oil up, so maybe the poor weather is a blessing. Add the fact that our Shags have struggled this winter, it brings home just how fragile our coastal environment really is. Fingers crossed for a happy outcome.

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