SPAIN: Inhabitants of the small fishing town of Corcubion, near Cape Finisterre, woke up yesterday to the scene they have been dreading for over a week. The oil slick from the sunken tanker Prestige had reached their beaches.
"They were clean until late yesterday, but look at what came in overnight," the local mayor, Mr Rafael Mouzo, said as he surveyed the mass of black fuel oil coating the sand and rocks, and watched people frantically working to scoop up the glutinous mess. "It makes one feel so helpless."
Corcubion and the adjoining villages of Boures, Cée and Corbeiro, 100 kms from La Coruña, had so far escaped the damage.
Until Wednesday evening their boats had been fishing quite legally and crops of clams, cockles and goose barnacles harvested normally. Now more than 500 local families have been added to the thousands of other Galician fishermen confined to port.
"The wind is our worst enemy. It is coming from the south-west and driving the oil up the estuary," said a local fisherman, Mr Juan Marin, who reported several other oil slicks two or three miles out to sea.
Many Galicians have complained about the lack of preparation and means to fight such a massive spill. One hundred and fifty Spanish navy personnel are working alongside other volunteers in the clean-up operation, but hundreds more say their offers have been rejected because there was no equipment to use. Some have resorted to their bare hands and plastic buckets to scoop up the oil.
Force seven winds have prevented the special cleaning vessels, including one from France and another from Holland, going to sea to fight the pollution.
It is not only the rich seafood of Galicia which has been endangered by the Prestige spill. The area is also a breeding ground for many species of birds, such as guillemots, gannets and cormorants, many of whom have already been affected.
Local radio and television stations have been broadcasting advice to the public on what action to take if they find a distressed bird or animal. They are told not to attempt to treat it themselves, but to put it in a box and take it to the nearest cleaning centre.
The Finisterrae Aquarium, alongside one of the ancient Pillars of Hercules in La Coruña, is on full alert. On Wednesday a large slick came within 7 kms of the 1,600 sq metre tank - one of the largest in the world. Fortunately, one of the clean-up boats managed to clear it up before it reached the aquarium.
Offers of assistance have been received from similar installations around the world, including Exploris Aquarium in Ireland, which reads: "It is devastating to think that such a spill could destroy your aquarium. We sympathise with you because we also have our water supply from the open sea."