§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the latest information he has on the number and species of birds found dead recently on the east coast of Scotland.
§ Sir Hector Monro[holding answer 11 March 1994]: The Institute for Terrestrial Ecology, under contract to the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, is investigating levels of heavy metals and pesticide residues in samples of dead sea birds beached recently. Initial results indicate no significant level of contamination.
Surveys of beached birds are carried out by various organisations and I understand that post mortems have been carried out to determine the general condition of dead birds. In many cases birds have been found to have suffered starvation.
§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what investigations are under way on the causes of deaths of sea birds on the east coast of Scotland.
§ Sir Hector Monro[holding answer 11 March 1994]: The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds organised a survey of dead birds on beaches in east Scotland on the weekend of 26 and 27 February. The number of dead birds recorded was nearly 6,400, which is four times higher than a similar count last year.
Eighty per cent. of birds found were guillemots, but other prominent species were shag and razorbill. The total number of dead birds will never be known exactly, but an estimate of 50,000 total fatalities is still valid.