Governments pledge to clean up Robson Bight

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Greenpeace is concerned about the health of one of the largest resident orca populations near Vancouver Island, after a diesel spill in an ecological reserve.

Numerous concerned citizens contacted federal Fisheries and Oceans Minister Loyola Hearn requesting an immediate salvage operation of the equipment. Last week it became clear their voices were heard.

Minister Hearn and B.C. Minister of the Environment Barry Penner announced that the two governments have entered into a cost-sharing agreement to raise the equipment, although at this point they have not determined which company will conduct the recovery operation. Greenpeace, Living Oceans Society and whale organizations are very pleased that the governments intend to initiate a timely salvage operation, and will be relieved when the threat has been removed.

Robson Bight is the centre point of an ecological reserve created to protect vital habitat for B.C.'s Northern Resident orca community which is listed as "threatened" under Canada's Species At Risk Act.

Heartfelt thanks to all the supporters who donated funds for an underwater investigation and who contacted Minister Hearn urging him to take immediate action. The Living Oceans Society, particularly Dorthea Hangaard, drove the work and represented Greenpeace and other groups during the underwater investigation. The great work of a dedicated team was key to the decision by the governments last week to recover the equipment.

Last August, a barge carrying logging equipment and a diesel fuel truck tipped its load into the Robson Bight whale sanctuary, resulting in a fuel spill. The underwater investigation that took place in December revealed that most of the logging equipment and the diesel fuel truck were upright and intact on the seafloor, but four pieces of equipment were crushed into each other as they came off the barge. It appears likely that the crushed equipment caused the initial spill as they contained over 2,000 litres of diesel that could easily have accounted for the original slick that spread 14 kilometres along Johnstone Strait.

However, at least 10,000 litres of fuel remains in the sunken fuel truck and intact equipment. As the equipment begins to corrode, there is a great concern that remaining diesel and hydraulic fluids will leak out and pose a further risk of contamination to the orca and fish populations, and to the marine environment. Last summer over 50 orcas spent several hours swimming through the diesel spill. Any negative impacts the orcas may have suffered are unknown.

The unused funds donated for the underwater investigation will go towards ongoing research on the orcas.