Jordan Wellwood, director of the Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary in Tiburon, writes in today's San Francisco Chronicle that we're going to see more problems with "mystery goo" spills unless the State Legislature acts to fund state agencies to respond to non-oil spills in the same way that they respond to oil spills:

California’s marine oil spill response system is one of the best in the world. But unfortunately, hundreds of non-oil incidents like this happen every year in the state, including everything from milk to algae to vegetable oil, to “mystery goo” that evades identification. Without funding and direction to the spill prevention office to respond, California remains unprepared for such spills, leaving a frightening gap in our protections for people and wildlife.

Wellwood notes that the recent spill in San Francisco Bay has been particularly harmful to the Surf Scoter, a bird that doesn't need this type of challenge:

We know that of the roughly 500 birds affected by the recent spill, more than half were surf scoters, a much-beloved sea duck that you can recognize by its black body and striking orange bill. This is a species that has been in alarming decline in San Francisco Bay and range-wide for several years, and that is disproportionately harmed by marine spills.

(Surf Scoter photo courtesy of Tom Grey)