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.
Norway-based Greig Seafood and the company it has hired to clean up the spill, Strategic Natural Resource Consultants, 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.