An incident of Southern Occean oil pollution: Effects of a spillage of diesel Fuel on the rocky shore of Macquarie Island (Sub-Antarctic)

Abstract

On 3 December 1987, the Australian resupply ship Nella Dan ran aground at Macquarie Island, releasing approximately 270 000 L of oil, mostly light marine diesel, into the sea. This represented one of the few spills to have occurred in southern hemisphere cold waters. Following the spill, thousands of marine invertebrates were washed up dead on beaches along 2 km of the shore. Twelve months after the spill, a study was conducted to examine the shore community in 5 zones at 2 oil- affected and 2 control locations. Three sites were examined within each of these locations. Densities of marine invertebrates appeared to have been markedly reduced in the lower littoral and sublittoral zones in the vicinity of the wreck. In the upper littoral zones, algal cover and invertebrate abundance were similar at oil-affected and control locations. The significance of the spill and its long-term effects are discussed.