Photo: The Canadian Press
This recent photo shows a response vessel with a vacuum truck on board in San Juan Island, Washington. The U.S. Coast Guard says commercial divers are assessing a sunken fishing vessel that sank in waters on the U.S. side of the Haro Strait on Saturday and is leaking fuel not far south of the vancouver island THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO – US Coast Guard
A fishing boat that sank with nearly 10,000 liters of fuel on board near the Canada-US marine border fell into one of the worst possible places for endangered killer whales, an expert says ocean pollutants.
Peter Ross, a senior scientist at the Raincoast Conservation Foundation, said the ship sank in an important feeding area for endangered southern resident killer whales. It will be a race against time to clean up the spill, he said.
“The very concerning part of this whole incident is that it happened in probably the worst place of all for southern resident killer whales, right in the middle of critical habitat,” Ross said.
The area is protected by the US Endangered Species Act, he said, because it is a popular fishing spot for killer whales. Chinook salmon, the whales’ main prey and a species that faces its own survival challenges, swim up the cliffs of San Juan Island, creating a feeding channel for the killer whales, he said .
There are only 74 southern resident killer whales left, and the federal government says the main threats to the species are pollution, declining chinook populations and noise disturbance.
The U.S. Coast Guard said Monday that the whales were last seen west of Port Angeles, at least 50 miles from the spill site, but Ross said that’s just a day’s travel for to orcas
The Aleutian Island sank off San Juan Island, about 25 kilometers east of Victoria, on Saturday and its five crew members were rescued by a good Samaritan, the US Coast Guard said united
The ship is under about 30 meters of water and the fuel on board includes diesel, motor oil and various other oils. Officials have not determined what caused the collapse.
On Monday, the Pacific Northwest Division of the Coast Guard said a dive team was looking for the best way to secure the ship’s vents so the tanks can be worn out.
Chief Petty Officer Michael Clark told The Associated Press that a shiner had entered Canadian waters and that there was concern about southern resident killer whales last seen near the southern tip of San Juan Island but They were driving away towards Port Angeles.
By Monday afternoon, they were spotted west of Port Angeles, “well away from the spill,” the Coast Guard said.
A safety zone has been established around the response area and all vessels must stay at least 914 meters from any diving vessel, he said.
No whales have been identified in the affected area and personnel are on scene to prevent marine mammals from approaching.
There have been no reports of oiled wildlife and air quality levels remain below harmful thresholds, he said.
However, Ross warned that the threat is not over. If the whales return to the area, the diesel fumes could be “extremely toxic” to them if inhaled. The risk depends on the volume and wind levels at the time of exposure.
“This can do significant damage, if it’s in the right concentration and if there’s no wind to disperse it,” he said.
Diesel fuel can also enter the food chain, starting with the biofilm on the surface of ocean water, if it is ingested by bacteria, phytoplankton and zooplankton.
There is also an urgent need to identify what types of oil and other fuels were on board the ship, he said. Given the threats facing the endangered whales, it’s critical that divers identify the fuels, stop the leaks and possibly work to recover the vessel, he said.
“This is an environmental emergency,” he said.
Conservationists are also monitoring the effects on salmon, but that may depend on how officials handle the seepage.
Misty MacDuffee, Raincoast’s wild salmon program manager, said the leak is occurring as sockeye salmon and other migratory species are returning to the Fraser River.
Fish should be safe from fuel at the surface of the water, as they spend most of their time in the depths.
However, he cautioned against using dispersants to manage the oil because it involves breaking up the slicks into smaller droplets that can distribute toxins through the water column.
“Then it becomes deadly,” MacDuffee said.
Oil can also build up on shorelines with damaging effects, he said.
The Canadian Coast Guard said in an email that it stands ready to assist as needed, while other U.S. agencies are also helping to contain oil, track the path of the spill and monitor affected wildlife.
lieutenant commander Brian Dykens said in a statement that the government and industry partners are working to develop “an efficient and effective containment and recovery response”.
“The local public, the environment and protected marine species are our highest priority,” he said.