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National Geographic : 1977 Apr
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took two ferry rides and a long, strenuous climb up a windswept hill. But the view from its high cliffs in late May is spectacular: count less gannets, kittiwakes, guillemots, or murres, and more than a hundred thousand puffins gathering from distant waters to nest on these dark cliffs and nearby skerries. "See those guillemots out there," said Bryan Sage, an environmentalist with BP. "Some times there can be ten thousand of them sitting on the surface like that. That's our problem. If there were an oil spill among so many birds in nesting season, we could have a mind-boggling disaster. BP and the Shet land Islands Council are doing all they can to prevent such an accident, but statistically it's likely to happen." Fish and Fishermen Take Brunt of Spills Despite precautions, bad accidents seem inevitable in the North Sea, so far relatively unpolluted. Tanker spills are the most likely. But a really bad blowout-an uncontrolled eruption of oil and gas from a well--could occur. Or a pipeline could break and pour crude oil into the sea for days. Not only birdlife, but also the rich North Sea fisheries could be seriously hurt. The eggs and larvae of some commercially valuable fish float near the surface, where they might be harmed by even small concentrations of oil. The North Sea's primary mackerel breed ing grounds lie near the Ekofisk complex. Prevailing currents could carry oil spills on the Norwegian side north to herring and cod spawning grounds. Moreover, drifting oil can harm or even kill the plankton many fish feed on. Not surprisingly, fishermen in Norway feel threatened. The threat involves more than pollution. Trawlers often ruin their nets when they snag heavy construction debris washed off supply boats in storms. Some fishermen have turned to higher-paying, less rigorous work on oil supply vessels. In 1976 fishermen briefly blockaded Sta vanger harbor to dramatize their grievances. They picked an appropriate port. Stavanger, once the sardine capital of the world, is now clearly an oil town, the throbbing land base for Norway's offshore action. When Iwas there, giant drilling rigs dwarfed other vessels in its harbor, and two Condeep platforms soared from nearby construction By yon bonnie Brae a small suburb for permanent oil workers has risen amid the crofts (above, foreground). By the fall of 1977, more than a thousand construction workers will have come to the Shetlands; the permanent force will number about 400 and remain for at least a generation. At a Friday-night dance in Brae, clown ing (right) increases as "wee drops" become a torrent. The village wonders how many years it will suffer the hangover from oil. National Geographic, April 1977 544
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