Their wintering grounds, however, were unknown until a bird-watcher on Grand Manan Island in the Bay of Fundy tipped off researchers. Then, earlier this month, about 50,000 of the black, puffin-related seabirds were witnessed flooding en masse, on wing, into the Bay of Fundy. He added that further research will be necessary but called it the discovery of a lifetime. The spill, which was attributed to a combination of mechanical failure and human error, took place in March 1998. It involved the release of 68,000 litres of green liquor into waters near the Reversing Falls, a set of rapids on the Saint John River which changes direction with the rising tides of the Bay of Fundy.
Green liquor is a by-product of processing wood pulp.
Meanwhile, Irving has begun selling a brand of gas in New Brunswick with the lowest levels of sulphur in Canada. At present, the limit for sulphur in gasoline in Canada is 1,000 parts per million, with limits of 150 PPM set for 2002. Irving's low-mercury gas is said to have already reached the 150 PPM mark, and the company has announced they will continue to sell it for the same price as its other brands. Ontario's gas has the highest sulphur levels of any province with 350 PPM on average. This after the governor fired off another volley this week in his ongoing water-war with Manitoba.