UPDATE - NZ officials warn rat poison could linger in ocean
Date: 25-May-01
Country: NEW ZEALAND
But they said there had been no immediate large scale damage from the bright green poison pellets, which tumbled into the sea from a truck that jacknifed off a coastal highway on Wednesday near Kaikoura, around 200 km (125 miles) north of Christchurch.
"Our water quality scientist and our enforcement staff who are up there ... are reporting no signs of dead fish or other marine life at this time," said Bob Simpson, a regional enforcement officer with the Environment Canterbury agency.
But Simpson added: "Toxicology experts have advised monitoring will need to be ongoing, as the poison has a cumulative effect and could stay in the ocean for some time."
The pellets spread a long, green, cloudy slick in the ocean on Wednesday, raising fears of a widespread threat to sealife.
"We are not certain to what extent seals will be affected, but in general large animals of their size would have to eat a lot for it to cause significant harm," the Department of Conservation said in a statement.
"Seabirds are more at risk. It might be possible to reduce the risk by removing any dead fish that are seen."
Local media quoted reports of dead fish and eels washing up along the coastline.
Regional official Simpson told Reuters the slick had since dissipated.
But the NZ Maritime Safety Authority has advised vessels to avoid the affected coast, and wildlife tour boat operators have agreed to stop operating in the area until further notice.
Signs have been erected along the coast warning the public not to gather seafood.
Local media reported that the poison had been destined for remote Campbell Island, 700 km (440 miles) south of New Zealand's main islands, for use in in the conservation department's rat eradication programme.
Rats were not native to New Zealand, but landed with the arrival of foreign ships and have since caused damage to the islands' fauna - particularly the kakapo, the world's only flightless nocturnal parrot and also the heaviest at around 3.5 kg (eight pounds).