Cleaning a Bay With a Duck Scoop

In a morning raid designed to reduce pollution along Newport Bay, workers rounded up about 60 ducks Thursday and whisked them off to an “undisclosed, secure location.”

As residents watched from their bayside homes, workers converged on the Grand Canal on foot and in boats, catching the white and brown ducks with nets.

City code enforcement officers helped contract workers in the systematic roundup, which took about two hours. Safety First had to obtain a permit for the removal from the state Department of Fish and Game, which monitored the procedure.

Animal control experts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture had earlier fed the ducks food laced with tranquilizers to slow them down. The ducks will be moved today to a farm in San Bernardino County.

It’s the most aggressive effort yet in Newport Beach’s long-running battle to reduce the bay’s bacteria levels caused by duck droppings.

Ducks have been a fixture in the bay, but only in the last several years have they generated complaints by residents who say the noise, stench and unsightly droppings are becoming intolerable.

Many residents support the relocation, noting that generous feedings by beachgoers have turned birds that once migrated up and down the coast into year-round Newport Beach residents.

“They’re neat to look at,” said Kristin Vigeland, “but the constant feeding of them builds up the stench from duck droppings. I don’t walk that side of the canal anymore.”

The city has tried banning large-scale feedings in an effort to reduce the duck population. But several residents, including Bunty Justin, defied the ban and simply collected the citations that officials issued.

Justin was angry and saddened when she learned the ducks had been taken.

“I don’t know where they took them or if they’re alive,” she said. “I think they’re narrow-minded and heartless people.”

But officials stressed that the ducks were not harmed.

“They’re in my warehouse now recovering from the tranquilizer,” said Tim Pietz, owner of Safety First, the contractor. “Tomorrow they’ll be relocated.”

The city’s contract with Safety First ensures that the animals are not euthanized or killed for food.

“We wouldn’t have done this if that was the outcome,” said Dave Kiff, assistant city manager.

A few ducks remained along the Grand Canal, but officials said the intention was to bring the population to a natural level. “Maybe eight ducks is a good amount,” Kiff said.