Sunken fishing boat off San Juan Island creates oil sheen, concern for resident killer whales

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VICTORIA – The U.S. Coast Guard and federal fisheries officials responded to a sunken fishing vessel Saturday off San Juan Island in Haro Strait, critical habitat for the endangered southern resident killer whales that are reportedly in the area.

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The 49-foot vessel sank west of Sunset Point with about 9,800 liters of diesel and oil on board, the US Coast Guard’s Pacific Northwest district said.

Sunset Point is about 30 nautical miles from Sidney on Vancouver Island, across the international border.

The entire crew on board was rescued by a good Samaritan, the coast guard said.

There were immediate concerns that the spill would affect the southern resident killer whale, whose population has struggled and is down to just 74 animals.

Washington state-based Orca Network, which monitors killer whales in their traditional summer feeding area in the Salish Sea, said in a social media post that nearly all of the orcas “turned up and are within walking distance.” south of the spill”.

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The US Coast Guard is coordinating with San Juan Island-based Sound Watch and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to monitor the whereabouts of orcas and is ready to keep them away.

The coast guard said all agencies are “prepared to deploy authorized deterrents.”

Because killer whales are acoustic animals, NOAA said using loud or annoying sounds is one way to keep whales away from an oil-contaminated area.

Some of the methods likely to be used if killer whales get too close include low-altitude helicopter flights to drive them away, or submerging long metal tubes in the water and hitting them with hammers.

NOAA also considers underwater firecrackers, often called seal bombs, to deter killer whales. Ironically, small charges were used in the 1960s and 1970s to help capture killer whales for public display in aquariums. “We are now using historical knowledge of whale behavior during those catches to support whale conservation,” the NOAA website said.

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NOAA said southern residents are a small and social population of killer whales, “so an oil spill could have a huge impact on the entire population if they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

The Canadian Coast Guard said Sunday that ships and resources on this side of the border are on standby.

“The US Coast Guard is the lead on this incident,” spokeswoman Michelle Imbeau said in a statement. “However, the Canadian Coast Guard is working closely with the USCG and stands ready to respond and assist as needed.”

The cause of the ship’s sinking was not immediately known. Aleutian Island reported that she was taking on water around 2 p.m. Saturday, the US Coast Guard said.

The Puget Sound Coast Guard Sector said personnel saw a slick of oil about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) long around 5 p.m. Saturday.

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Some of the sheen had entered Canadian waters, Petty Officer Michael Clark said Sunday.

The US Coast Guard was working with the Canadian Coast Guard, the San Juan County emergency management office, the Washington State Department of Ecology and the non-profit Islands Oil Spill Association. profit to contain and recover the spill, Clark said.

US Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Brian Dykens said in a statement, “We are working with government and industry partners to ensure an efficient and effective containment and recovery response. The public, the environment and protected marine species are our top priority.”

— With files from The Associated Press