Scientists in Newfoundland and Labrador believe that hundreds of gannets perished before returning this Spring to nest in St. Mary’s Bay. Bill Montevecchi, a Memorial University researcher who has been tracking the birds’ journey to the Gulf of Mexico and back again, said he believed there are signs that some of the thousands of birds that return to the province to lay just one egg each year have been damaged by the spill. Montevecchi remains optimistic about the future of the colony, but stressed that it is not clear what effect returning to the polluted Gulf year after year will have on the birds.
