Fishing boat sinks at U.S. border near Victoria, hundreds of litres of diesel aboard

The United States Coast Guard says it’s working to mitigate a pollution threat after a fishing boat sank just over the Canada-U. S. border not far from Victoria. 

The coast guard says in a social media statement that a man and his dog were rescued off Henry Island in the San Juan Islands after the 14-metre commercial fishing boat the Chief Joseph went down on Friday. 

It says the man and the dog made it to a life raft before the boat sank and both were rescued from Henry Island. 

The coast guard says a helicopter flight over the area showed a 90-metre fuel sheen on the water along with debris from the sunken vessel. 

It says the fishing boat was reported to be carrying about 1,500 to 1,900 litres of diesel fuel. 

The coast guard says Global Dive and Salvage, an oil spill response organization, has been contracted to evaluate the condition of the ship and mitigate the threat of pollution.