SELENDANG AYU OIL SPILL RESPONSE
Title: 
Respondeing the the Selendang Ayu oil spill
Response description:
At 5:15pm on December 8, 2004, just off of the west coast of Unalaska Island, a 738-foot Malaysian Flag bulk freightier, the M/V Selendang Ayu, loaded with 60,000 metric tons of soybeans and carrying 478,000 gallons of oil on board drifted into shallow water and broke in to two pieces spilling oil and soybeans all along the coastline. The response and subsequent cleanup efforts were extended over a two year period. The impacts of the oil and soybean spills on the wildlife, fisheries, and coastal ecosystems of Unalaska are to this day unknown.
Role in response
Worked as the local liaison for the Unalaska City School District and the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska in Command center for the spill response. Attended daily meetings, teleconferences and briefed local entities on the situation as it was occurring. Also worked as a link between NOAA, DEC, and responsible party responding researchers and University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers.
Set up a bird and marine mammal collection center with USFWS and the International Bird Rescue and Research Center in the local Alaska Sea Grant office. Oiled birds were cleaned and prepared for shipment to Anchorage for further decontamination. The center also housed Alaska Sea Life Center veterinarians that performed necropsies and tissue collections on impacted marine mammals.
Worked as a member of the Selendang Ayu Subsistence Fisheries workgroup, the Subsistence Science workgroup, and Fisheries workgroup. Attended meetings, encouraged outreach and education to community members, and linked responders to UAF interested and concerns. Also wrote, edited and administered subsistence surveys to locals susbsitence hunters to evaluate the maximum potential dosage of PAHs in subsistence foods. With NOAA researchers and Qawalangin Tribe representatives, collected subsistence food samples for toxicology and healthfulness analysis.
Organized a research conference (Aleutian Life Forum 2005) to determine the lessons learned from the responders and community members involved in the response, clean-up and sampling. Thirty-three speakers described their response to the event while community members shared their involvement and concerns through round-table discussions.
Products:
Presented a poster titled: Lessons Learned from the Selendang Ayu oil spill at the 2006 Alaska Marine Science Symposium and the 2006 Alaska Sea Grant research meeting.
Fundraised, produced and chaired a research conference to address the lessons learned specifically to the Selendang Ayu oil spill response
Compiled, edited, and published an Alaska Sea Grant publication titled: The Selendang Ayu Oil Spill: Lessons Learned.
Sea Grant tenants addressed:
Response and Outreach