A 60m squid fishing boat hit rocks early this morning near Stewart Island in rough seas. Some oil started to spill from the boat. There was concern that the oil could spread to a marine reserve not too far away. Yellow-eyed penguin live in this reserve. Also kiwi come down to the beach on Stewart Island at night and oil in the sea could wash onto the beach.
When oil spilled from the ship the Rena in Tauranga in 2011, many sea birds had oil on their feathers and died. Many penguins were saved by volunteers who found them and took them to experts who cleaned the feathers.
However, the rough seas this morning meant that the oil quickly disappeared out to sea. The fishing boat was able to continue to a safe port for repairs.
Listen to October 27th 2011 to hear more about oil spills or type “Rena” in the search box.
To find out about a marine reserve, listen to Akaroa Marine Reserve on April 15th 2013.