Oil rigs may soon be keeping their helidecks free of gulls and guano with J. B. Offshore's Gull Scat bird deterrent. Bird droppings contain salmonella and E. coli and obscure markings on the landing pad. Gull Scat broadcasts 80 synthetic and 20 real sounds at up to 110 decibels to scare birds off. The sounds and the pauses between them are constantly changed so the birds can never get used to the row. One-year trials on two rigs showed that Gull Scat kept one helideck clear while an unprotected rig was ankle-deep in guano.
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