Strange ‘tar balls’ wash up on American beaches – and are linked to spate of deaths in animals
A possible oil spill has left blobs of tar and oil-covered birds washing up on American beaches.
The pieces of tar are about the size of a sand dollar and are five to four inches in diameter. They baffle officials as they race to find the source.
Hundreds of them have been found less than a week after local officials received reports of oiled birds found along a 150-mile stretch from Long Beach, Washington, to Lincoln City, Oregon.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) confirmed Sunday that the tar is “petroleum-based,” indicating the substance came from an unknown oil spill.
The agency received 10 reports of oil-covered birds, but recovered four: two were found dead and one later had to be euthanized.
The pieces of tar (shown) are about the size of a sand dollar, are two to four inches in diameter, are hard on the outside and soft and sticky on the inside. Local officials have warned that the public should not touch the tar and should instead report it to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
The U.S. Coast Guard has been searching for the source of the oil off the coast of the Pacific Northwest, but has been unable to officially locate the source.
Beachgoers found the blobs of tar on Cannon Beach for the first time last week, which typically form when wind and ocean waves stretch and break the oil from a larger spill into smaller pieces.
The tar is hard and crunchy on the outside, but soft and gooey on the inside – just like a roasted marshmallow.
But they can be dangerous to anyone who comes into contact with them.
Both Washington and Oregon state agencies conduct beach surveys and coastline assessments, as well as flights over the Pacific Ocean, looking for evidence of an oil spill or oil fire.
Officials sent samples of the tar to a laboratory for analysis and some images show evidence of an oil sheen off the coast of Cannon Beach.
There are no oil rigs or freight in the Oregon region; all sources of crude oil in the state are shipped from outside.
“The last thing we’ve seen right now is a sheen about 1.5 miles long near Haystack Rock,” said Kevin Chan, emergency coordinator for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. KGW8 news.
About four common guillemots (pictured) were found covered in oil on the beaches of Washington and Oregon. Two of the birds had died when recovered and one had to be euthanized after rescuers analyzed the injuries
Tar can matte and separate the bird’s feathers, making it difficult to fly, and removes the protective layer against water that keeps the birds afloat. Pictured: A common murre that was rescued and taken to a rehabilitation center in Oregon
All the oil-covered birds were common guillemots, which stay close to land when not breeding but travel as far as 20 miles offshore when they are.
The breeding season has not yet started for the guillemots. Two of them died shortly after being rescued.
Oil can cause birds’ feathers to matt, fall apart and lose their protection against water, making it difficult for them to fly or float in water and can make them seriously ill if ingested.
“The biggest thing we see (is) all of our birds coming in emaciated,” Jolene Magee, who works as a rehabilitation technician for the Wildlife Center of the North Coast, told KGW8.
“They’re preening, so they’re consuming the oil that’s on their feathers,” she continued.
“It’s kind of a balancing act between making them feel better, but acting quickly enough so they don’t consume too much of the oil.”
The US Coast Guard reported that four murres were recovered, including two that had already died and one had to be euthanized after evaluation of the injuries.
Local officials have warned the public not to approach the birds if they see one, but instead to report them to 1-800-22-BIRDS (1-800-22-2477).
“Birds are often very stressed as a result of oiling,” a WDFW spokesperson said KKG8. ‘This is part of the reason why we are asking the public not to attempt to capture oiled wildlife as this can increase stressors on the animal.’
The ODFW asked the public to “leave the cleanup to professional responders who are trained and equipped to handle this type of material,” but if they do touch the material, it is important to wash yourself immediately with soap or dish soap and water.
DailyMail.com has contacted local wildlife agencies for comment.