Worst-case scenario for Southern Resident Killer Whales ‘narrowly avoided’: expert

A whale researcher based on San Juan Island says a fuel spill from a sunken fishing boat very nearly turned into an extinction event for the area’s Southern Resident Killer Whales.

The 15-metre-long vessel went down on Saturday with some 10,000 litres of diesel and oil on board.

The stretch of Haro Strait where the Aleutian Isle sank is a protected area considered critical habitat for the 74 remaining Southern Resident Killer Whales and, although the pods were last spotted just 50km away, the whales were believed to be moving west, away from the sunken vessel.

There have been no confirmed animal deaths as a result of this spill. But Michael Weiss with the Whale Research Centre says we “narrowly avoided a worst-case scenario.”

“We had most of the population nearby in a single group. Had they headed north into the slick, that could have been it,” Weiss said.

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He adds even if enough of the females were to be exposed to the spill, it would spell disaster.

“You could see long-term lack of reproduction in the population and kind of a slow-motion extinction. We narrowly avoided one of my literal nightmares,” Weiss said.

While he expects the critically endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales to be okay, so long as they don’t go back into the area. In terms of other marine animals, he says any possible effects on them would be seen quickly, especially if there are strandings or carcasses that are found.

“Long-term impacts on reproductive output from exposure to oil … l don’t think that we’ll see any population-level consequences of this long-term, this time. I hope.”

Weiss feels the response to the spill was slow, and crews weren’t ready to potentially drive the whales away from the area if needed.

“There wasn’t much readiness, in terms of being able to deter animals from approaching the slick,” he said, adding he believes this incident highlights the potential for future spills that could be catastrophic.

Acknowledging that this happened in U.S. waters and the response reflects on U.S. authorities, he says “the warning that it gives — that you need to be ready for this — absolutely applies to the Canadian government, as well as the U.S. government.”

The US Coast Guard says the Aleutian Isle was originally resting in about 30 metres of water, but has since shifted to a depth of about 60 metres. Given the depth of the wreck, it is bringing in a specialized Remotely Operated Vehicle.

The coast guard says there appears to be a “reduction in the sheen on the water.”

(1/4) #AleutianIsleResponseUpdate The depth of the wreck has prompted the USCG to bring a specialized Remotely Operated Vehicle to the San Juan Islands which will be on scene today. Responders on scene and drone/helicopter overflights show a reduction in the sheen on the water…

— USCGPacificNorthwest (@USCGPacificNW) August 16, 2022

Divers are also trying to gather and remove a large fishing net that has floated free of the wreck, as well as a second net that is “submerged near the 100′ mark.”

(3/4) Additionally, the Cutter Henry Blake is on scene to recover the loose net from the surface. Divers will be working today to remove a second net which is submerged near the 100' mark. The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund ceiling has been increased to $400K…

— USCGPacificNorthwest (@USCGPacificNW) August 16, 2022

With files from Dean Recksiedler