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Island First Nation closes clam beaches after 'human error' diesel spill at fish farm near Zeballos

Up to 8,000 litres of diesel fuel spilled into Esperanza Inlet while it was being transferred at a Grieg Seafood fish farm

A North Vancouver Island First Nation is closing several beaches to clam harvesting after ­thousands of litres of diesel fuel spilled into an inlet at a fish farm near the community of Zeballos.

Up to 8,000 litres of diesel fuel spilled into Esperanza Inlet on Saturday while it was being transferred, due to what Grieg Seafood, the Norway-based company that operates the fish farm, called human error.

“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.

The province said surveillance on the water and from the air found a “visible sheen” to the north and west of the spill site, along with smaller patches to the south and east.

Grieg Seafood said it has hired Strategic Natural Resource Consultants to help with the spill, and has been on the water with people from the company to monitor conditions and place absorbent booms around the affected area.

The company said it had been unable to locate recoverable diesel on the water.

The Ehattesaht and Nuchatlaht First Nations are affected by the spill. “We are doing all we can together with the First Nations, coast guard and other authorities to minimize damage,” Grieg Seafood said in its statement. “We apologize for the disruption this has caused.”

The Ehattesaht First Nation said about 40 people from Grieg Seafood, the provincial government, the coast guard and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans are working on a cleanup. Recovery operations are being run out of the nation’s office.

Ehattesaht First Nation Chief Simon John said his people have taken advantage of low winter tides to harvest food for thousands of years, but some beaches are now being closed to clam harvesting due to safety concerns. “I am sure I will get angry next, but for right now, I am sad that all of this fuel is out there sloshing around our territory, washing up on our beaches,” he said. “Dealing with this will take a lot of creativity, hard work and some real resources.”

The First Nation said recent cooler temperatures and windstorms mean the diesel will stick around longer and can be mixed up in the environment in ways that make it even more difficult to deal with.

The region’s largest tides arrive during December.

Many coastal First Nations are used to dealing with spills, said an Ehattesaht First Nation statement, adding there is a “long legacy” of abandoned cannery and forestry operations where spills and slow leaks have left long-lasting pollution.

The nation said it will send out an alert to all operators handling fuel in its territory to ensure extra vigilance and compliance with standards.

Grieg Seafood operates 22 fish farms and a hatchery in saʴý, and is licensed to produce 23,400 tonnes of salmon each year.

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