December 19, 2024

 

Diesel spill at Canadian salmon farm prompts clean-up efforts and concerns

Up to 8,000 litres of diesel fuel has spilled into the waters surrounding an open-net pen salmon farm near Zeballos, British Columbia, Canada, on the northwest coast of Vancouver Island.

 

Provincial incident reports indicate that the spill occurred at the Grieg Seafood site due to "human error during fuel transfer" on a floating concrete platform. The incident was reported to the Environmental Emergency Branch.

 

Aerial and ground surveillance has identified a visible sheen of diesel extending north and west toward Centre Island from the spill site, with smaller patches observed south and east toward Steamer Point.

 

The Ehattesaht First Nation has responded by issuing a clam harvesting alert and closure in Zeballos Inlet. In a social media post, the Nation stated that the spill took place overnight at the Lutes Creek farm site "when a transfer pump was not shut off properly."

 

The Nation also highlighted the challenges of containment and clean-up, citing the stormy weather and large tidal swings on Saturday. “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,” the statement read.

 

Grieg Seafood, a Norway-based company, acknowledged the incident in a statement on its website. "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 stated.

 

To address the spill, Grieg Seafood has hired Strategic Natural Resource Consultants to manage the clean-up efforts. According to the incident report, absorbent booms were deployed at the spill site, but Strategic informed the province that they were "unable to locate recoverable diesel on the water."

 

The impact of the spill on the salmon contained in the farm's pens and the surrounding ecosystem remains unclear. CBC News has reached out to both Grieg Seafood and Strategic Natural Resource Consultants for further information regarding the clean-up operations and environmental consequences.

 

The incident occurred in an area visible on Google Earth, where three floating fish farms are located.

 

-      CBC News