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Long-term changes in oil pollution off the Belgian coast: evidence from beached bird monitoring
Seys, J.; Offringa, H.; Meire, P.; Van Waeyenberge, J.; Kuijken, E. (2002). Long-term changes in oil pollution off the Belgian coast: evidence from beached bird monitoring. Belg. J. Zool. 132(2): 111-118
In: Belgian Journal of Zoology. Koninklijke Belgische Vereniging voor Dierkunde = Société royale zoologique de Belgique: Gent. ISSN 0777-6276; e-ISSN 2295-0451
Peer reviewed article  
Available in  Authors 
    Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee: Open access 316223 [ download pdf ]
Keywords
    Aquatic organisms > Marine organisms > Aquatic birds > Marine birds
    Pollution > Oil pollution
    Surveys
    Temporal variations
    ANE, North Sea [Marine Regions]
    Marine/Coastal
Project Top | Authors 
  • Ecology of seabirds: partim beached birds survey
Authors  Top 
  • Seys, J.
  • Offringa, H.
  • Meire, P.
  • Van Waeyenberge, J.
  • Kuijken, E.
Abstract
    Trends in oil pollution in the southernmost (Belgian) part of the North Sea were analysed using a dataset of 37 years (1962-99) of annual national beached bird surveys conducted in February each year. The most abundant seabird groups represented in the beached birds were auks (31 %), gulls (28%), scoters (17%) and Kittiwake (9%). Oil rates of most bird species/taxa indicate a decline in oil pollution, though only Larus-gulls, Common Guillemot and Razorbill show significant reductions. The slope in the linear decreasing trend is steeper in inshore and midshore species, than in pelagic species. A power analysis of the results demonstrated that statistically significant trends in annual indices would be expected within 17 years for Razorbill, 29 years for Larus-gulls and 31 years for Common Guillemot. For other species/taxa, at least 50 years of surveying would be required. Long-term oil pollution monitoring in Belgium should be continued with a major focus on a set of abundant bird taxa, sensitive to oil-pollution and occurring in various marine habitats. Most appropriate for this purpose are grebes (inshore), Larus-gulls, Common Guillemot and Razorbill (midshore) and Kittiwake and Fulmar (offshore).
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