Spill from sunken U.S. fish boat off Victoria raises concern for endangered orcas – BC
The US Coast Guard says business divers are assessing a sunken fishing boat that went down Saturday in U.S. waters and is leaking gasoline not removed from southern Vancouver Island.
The Aleutian Isle vessel is beneath about 30 metres of water off San Juan Island, roughly 25 kilometres east of Victoria.
An announcement from the U.S. Coast Guard’s Pacific Northwest district says a Good Samaritan rescued the 5 crew members from the almost 15-metre vessel, nevertheless it sank with almost 10,000 litres of diesel and oil aboard.
The coast guard assertion says the reason for the sinking is undetermined and divers are checking the hull and plugging vents so gasoline may be pumped out of the vessel.
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Petty Officer Michael Clark instructed The Related Press {that a} sheen had entered Canadian waters and there was concern for critically endangered southern resident killer whales final seen close to the southern tip of San Juan Island however transferring away towards Port Angeles.
The Canadian Coast Guard says in an electronic mail it is able to help as required whereas a number of different U.S. businesses are additionally serving to include any oil, observe the trajectory of the spill and monitor for affected wildlife.
Lt.-Cmdr. Brian Dykens says in an announcement that authorities and business companions are working to develop “an environment friendly and efficient containment and restoration response.”
“The native public, the atmosphere and guarded marine species are our high precedence,” he says.
— With information from The Related Press
