Wednesday, January 24, 2001
The University Daily Kansan
Section A·Page 7
World
For comments, contact J. R. Mendoza at 864-4810 or e-mail editor@kansan.com
Nature helping Galapagos combat fuel spill
The Associated Press
BUERTO
PUERTO BAQUERIZO, Galapagos Islands — Bad weather blocked diesel fuel cleanup efforts around a stricken tanker yesterday, but fortuitous winds were pushing thousands of gallons of spilled fuel away from the fragile environment of the Galapagos islands.
Slicks from last week's diesel spill had spread over an area bigger than Los Angeles, and yesterday, pounding surf around the disabled tanker Jessica halted recovery operations:
A giant wave washed over the ship's bow, injuring its captain and bruising several recovery workers.
Despite the complications, though, nature was also providing a helping hand for the islands, an ecosystem populated by species found nowhere else in the world and an inspiration for Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
Ecuadorean Environment Minister Rodolfo Rendon said yesterday the spilled diesel had shifted direction "toward the northwest, which is an open zone where there are no major islands." He said the
spill, which officials had blamed on navigational error, was "a problem, not a tragedy."
The Galapagos chain — consisting of 13 major islands, six small islands and scores of islets — is 600 miles west of the Ecuadorian mainland and is the country's main tourist attraction. Despite the wind shift, the spill here has taken a toll on the chain's unique wildlife.
Oil reached Santa Fe Island, 37 miles west of San Cristobal, the easternmost island in the Galapagos archipelago and home to large colonies of sea lions and
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marine iguanas. Rendon said one pelican had died and the fuel had harmed some 40 other animals, including sea lions, seagulls, blue-footed boobies and albatrosses, which had been rescued and cleaned.
Robert Bensted-Smith, director of the Charles Darwin Research Station, told The Associated Press long-term damage was still being assessed.
He said beside the strong currents pushing the fuel out to sea, heavy sunshine had helped evaporate some of the oil. But, he said, there
was evidence an undetermined quantity sea urchins and seaweed had died on San Cristobal.
One long-term threat of the spill is that the escaped fuel will sink to the ocean floor, destroying algae vital to the food chain. That could threaten marine iguanas, sharks, birds that feed off fish and other species.
The Jessica, which ran aground Jan. 16 with about 243,000 gallons of fuel, was still listing sharply to its right in shallow waters about 550 yards from San Cristobal's shore. Some 170,000 gallons of diesel fuel have poured from the tanker.
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