Sea Empress.

Hi Bob and Annie,

I have to say that having weeks of wet cold work dismissed by so called experts at the time was extremely annoying. As I remember one chap from Durham was particularly strident in his opinions, based on the completely incomparable Exxon Valdese spill.

I felt (as did many of us), worn out, angry and depressed at the end of that sad episode. I hope and pray we never have to go through that again.

For me there were many memories but the worst was the pathetic sight and smell of thousands of scoter smothered in stinking bunker oil washing up on Pendine Beach. Each wave of obscene stinking oilsaturated water deposited pathetic doomed ducks at our feet. A single oil bespattered vet in a shed next to the cafe, overwhelmed and incandescent with the outrage of it all.

And yet the response of the general public and all the people who came to help was magnificent. We figured it was humans that caused the mess and we had a duty to do what we could.
We reckoned that if even one survived it would be worthwhile.

This news is really reassuring and points to the value of not merely rescueing oiled birds but ringing and processing them before release, many thanks for passing this on!
allthingsgood, cliff