MARINER'S HARBOR — Rescuers found 15 birds covered in oil Monday after fuel spilled from a barge off the shoreline of Mariner's Harbor last week.
The boat leaked oil into the waters of the Kill Van Kull at around 11:22 p.m. on Friday. It spread to the nearby Shooter's Island bird sanctuary, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
The Coast Guard said that they have sighted approximately 2,900 birds in the area of the spill, and 15 were seen to be slightly oiled. The affected birds did not require to be captured for rehabilitation, the Coast Guard said.
Shooter's Island, which is closed to the public, has several species of wading bird that breed on the 35-acre piece of land in Newark Bay. Birds there include black-crowned night herons, glossy ibis and several very rare egrets.