Diesel spill near Victoria threatening Southern Resident killer whales

By The Canadian Press and The Associated Press

Divers are scouring the sunken remains of a U.S. fish boat that went down in waters just east of Victoria, off Vancouver Island, causing an oil slick that is now drifting into Canadian waters.

The U.S Coast Guard says the divers are checking the hull and closing vents as planning is underway to remove some of the nearly 10,000 litres of fuel that was still aboard when the 15-metre Aleutian Isle went down Saturday.

While the cause of the sinking wasn’t immediately known, the boat reported it was taking on water about 2 p.m. on Saturday, according to the coast guard.

All five crew members were rescued, but the boat is currently in about 30 metres of water, complicating efforts to remove the fuel and an almost three-kilometre-long sheen extends from the site of the sinking.

Some of the sheen had entered nearby Canadian waters, Petty Officer Michael Clark said Sunday.

The Coast Guard was working with the Canadian Coast Guard Regional Operations Center, the San Juan County Office of Emergency Management, Washington State Department of Ecology and the non-profit Islands’ Oil Spill Association on Sunday to contain and recover the spill, Clark said.

Related Article: U.S. Coast Guard reports fuel spill near Vancouver Island coast

There is concern that it could affect critically endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales that were in the area Saturday, but the coast guard says the pods appear to be heading toward Port Angeles, away from the sunken boat.

The Coast Guard also said it was working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which was tracking the spill’s trajectory, and others to ensure the orcas don’t come in contact with the spill.

“We are working with government and industry partners to ensure an efficient and effective containment and recovery response,” Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Brian Dykens said in a statement. “The local public, the environment and protected marine species are our top priority.”

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