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