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A fuel -carrying ship carrying an aircraft has been attacked by a cargo ship while anchoring 13 miles from the east coast of England. This raises a series of huge explosions and a huge bunch of black smoke, while an unknown amount of aircraft fuel has been overflowed into the sea.
We are marine ecology at Hull University, the city near the incident. We know this coast and these waters are very clear. Although it is too early to say exactly what the consequences will be, we know that this overflow is at risk of becoming one of the most important beaches of the UK, both to preserve and catch commercial fish.
The collision occurs in The area protected offshore is protected offshoreA rough sandy area supports many different species. They include Ocean Quahog, an edible clam that is known to live for more than 500 years. The area also acts as a nursery for fish like Lemon Sole, PlaICE and Europe Sprat.
This area duplicates with the specified areas for protection DO DO port and nearby Humber river mouth And it Mud, sand dunes and swamps Where thousands of birds spend winter along with other important species, such as stone foam and gray seals.
SEABIRD colonial colonies the largest breeding of the United Kingdom are found in the north of the collision area, along Flamborough and filey coast. More than 250,000 birds nest each year, including the impressive number of Guillemots and razors. It also organizes conservation species such as Gannets, Kittiwakes and Puffins.
To the south are others The coast is protected and an important The breeding website for gray seals. Washing, where four empty rivers enter the same large square estuary, was found 70 km to the south, in the general direction of drift from the collision of the oil ship. This area has a large salt swamp and is another important place for birds that are too crowded.