Fish farm company says 'human error' caused 8,000-litre fuel spill off B.C. coast

The Ehattesaht First Nation deploys a canoe and other resources to try and rescue an orphaned orca at a lagoon near Zeballos, B.C., Friday, April 12, 2024. (Chad Hipolito / The Canadian Press)

Cleanup efforts are underway after up to 8,000 litres of diesel fuel spilled into the water at a salmon farm on northwestern Vancouver Island.

Grieg Seafood, the fish farm operator, says "human error" caused the spill, which was reported to the B.C. government's Environmental Emergency Branch, near the community of Zeballos on Saturday.

"We are looking into our routines, and how we transfer fuel in the future to make sure this does not happen again," the company said in a statement Monday. "We apologize for the disruption this has caused."

The provincial government says aerial and ground surveillance identified a visible fuel sheen on the water around the spill site.

The Ehattesaht First Nation issued a clam harvesting alert and closure of the Zeballos Inlet in response to the spill.

"These spills are all too common on the coast of B.C. and unacceptable in Ehattesaht territory," the Ehattesaht chief and council said in a statement on social media. "It is a stark reminder of the risks inherent in fuel transport and storage in every industrial sector."

The statement said the spill happened at the Lutes Creek farm site "when a transfer pump was not shut off properly."

The Ehattesaht statement said a weekend windstorm and higher than usual tides made early cleanup efforts difficult.

"Chief and council share your anger at this time," the statement said, addressing community members. "But what is most important will be the actions we take to preserve, protect, clean and monitor for damage."

The B.C. Ministry of Environment and Parks declined an interview request Monday, saying officials were "actively engaged in the spill."

Norway-based Grieg Seafood said it has hired Strategic Natural Resource Consultants to help clean up the fuel.

The spill response group has placed absorbent booms around the spill area, but the company said it was not able to locate any recoverable fuel on the water surface, according to the province.

The Canadian Coast Guard has issued an advisory warning local mariners to avoid the area.

The province says an incident command post to co-ordinate the response effort was being established.