At least 19 bald eagles die in Kodiak fish waste mishap
50 raptors dove into truck, became too wet to fly out
KODIAK - At least 19 eagles died Friday afternoon when 50 of the birds gorged themselves in a truck full of fish waste outside of the Ocean Beauty Seafoods processing plant in Kodiak.
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Brandon Saito, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, coordinated the recovery operation. He said the dump truck's retractable fabric cover was not closed when the truck was moved outside the plant temporarily, and at least 50 eagles swarmed into it.
The birds became too soiled to fly or clean themselves, and with temperatures in the mid-teens, started succumbing to the cold. Some birds became so weak they sunk into the fish slime and were crushed.
The truck's contents had to be dumped onto the floor of the plant so the birds could be retrieved. Some of the birds scattered, but since they couldn't fly, wildlife officers soon retrieved them. The eagles were then cleaned with dish soap in tubs of warm water to get the oily slime off of them and warm them up.
The survivors were taken to a heated fish and wildlife warehouse to recover, though some were in critical condition. Saito said they would be released as soon as they were dry and strong enough.
The dead birds, which initially numbered 19, will be shipped to a U.S. Department of Interior clearinghouse where Native American groups could apply to be given the birds or their feathers for ceremonial purposes.
A half-dozen fish and wildlife personnel responded to the plant in downtown Kodiak to help with the recovery effort, and were assisted by Ocean Beauty Seafood personnel.
Requests for interviews from Ocean Beauty officials were not returned.