{"id":6244,"date":"2011-09-20T08:46:43","date_gmt":"2011-09-20T16:46:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blitransfer.wpengine.com\/?p=6244"},"modified":"2017-06-21T14:20:51","modified_gmt":"2017-06-21T19:20:51","slug":"swedish-oil-spill-jeopardizes-birds-in-stigfjorden-nature-reserve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluelivingideas.com\/2011\/09\/20\/swedish-oil-spill-jeopardizes-birds-in-stigfjorden-nature-reserve\/","title":{"rendered":"Swedish Oil Spill Jeopardizes Birds in Stigfjorden Nature Reserve"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The environmental consequences of our addiction to oil are innumerable; however, marine life continues to bear the brunt of fossil fuel accidents.<\/h3>\n

On September 10,2011, two boats collided off Denmark’s western coast causing a “substantial” oil spill. \u00a0Authorities did not learn about the oil spill until five days later. \u00a0The Copenhagen Post<\/a><\/em> reports:<\/p>\n

The suspected source of the oil spill is a cargo ship from Malta called the \u2018Golden Trader\u2019. It was in the North Sea approximately 20 nautical miles west of Thybor\u00f8n, Denmark, on Saturday, September 10, when it collided with a small Belgian fishing trawler called the \u2018Vidar\u2019. The boats collided in clear, calm weather.<\/em><\/p>\n

Nearby ships and a helicopter were called in for assistance. \u2018Vidar\u2019 sustained minor damage, but tore a hole in the side of the larger cargo ship and oil began to spill into the sea, reports shipping news site Vesseltracker.com.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Clean up efforts are “under control,”, according to officials, yet the\u00a0Stigfjorden Nature Reserve remains threatened as it is a “nesting site for vulnerable bird species”.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s difficult to say how many birds are affected,\u201d Tommy J\u00e4r\u00e5s, of the bird centre told G\u00f6teborgs Posten newspaper. \u201cBut presumably it could be hundreds, perhaps up to a thousand. There could be injured birds on the islands and reefs that can only be reached by boat.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Designated in 1979, this marine protected area is a fjord between two large islands. \u00a0BirdLife International<\/a> identifies three “trigger” species in Stigfjorden and calls it an “Important Bird Area” (IBA):<\/p>\n