An environmental organization said its members have seen as many as six mallards affected by the oily substance that entered the Gorge Waterway via Gorge Creek late last week.
“The birds are currently flighted, but some of them are heavily oiled,” said Coleen Doucette, vice-president of the Oiled Wildlife Society.
She said she hopes her group will be able to get approval from the Ministry of Environment to work on capturing the mallards.
Once the substance on them keeps them from flying, they can be caught and treated, she said.
Jeff Miller, Esquimalt’s director of engineering and public works, said the substance is a petrochemical that entered through the stormwater system.
