Up to 8,000 litres of diesel fuel has spilled into the water at an open-net pen salmon farm south of Zeballos, B.C., on northwest Vancouver Island.
According to provincial incident reports, the spill at the Grieg Seafood site was caused by “human error during fuel transfer” on a floating concrete platform and was reported to the Environmental Emergency Branch on Saturday.
Aerial and ground surveillance has reported a visible sheen to the north and west toward Centre Island from the spill site, with smaller patches observed to the south and east toward Steamer Point, said the report.
The Ehattesaht First Nation has issued a clam harvesting alert and closure in Zeballos Inlet.
It said Sunday in a post to social media the spill happened overnight at the Lutes Creek farm site “when a transfer pump was not shut off properly.”
“With the storm and the large tide swings Saturday, containment and clean-up will be a difficult process,” it said.
“These spills are all too common on the coast of B.C. and are unacceptable in Ehattesaht territory. It is a stark reminder of the risks inherent in fuel transport and storage in every industrial sector.”
In a statement posted to its website, Norway-based Greig Seafood wrote, “It was a human error, and we are looking into our routines and how we transfer fuel in the future to make sure this does not happen again.”
The company has hired Strategic Natural Resource Consultants to clean up the spill.
Strategic told the province that absorbent booms were placed around the spill site but that they were “unable to locate recoverable diesel on the water,” according to the incident report.
CBC News has asked Greig and Strategic for more details about the cleanup effort and for comments on the effects the diesel has on the penned salmon and surrounding ecosystem.
Google Earth images show three floating fish farms in the spill area.
The incident report said the province hosted a co-ordination call with Greig, Strategic, the Canadian Coast Guard, officials from Zeballos and Tahsis, and the Ehattesaht and Nuchatlaht First Nations.
It said a command post to co-ordinate response actions was being set up.
CBC News has contacted the Ehattesaht First Nation and Village of Zeballos for comment.
