Bella Bella (October 24, 2106) – Shoreline cleanup crews have been deployed to try to recover diesel contaminating tidal beaches and rocky shoreline areas from the sunken Nathan E. Steward tug in Heiltsuk waters.

Trapped oil has been discovered in at least three coves in Seaforth Channel. Beach crews have been deployed to find stranded oil on beaches and rocky shoreline areas. Crews will be raking beaches to bring up diesel trapped 6 to 8 inches below the surface and flush it out with water – an ongoing process that will have to be repeated in the same areas over the coming weeks.

Incident Command reported this morning that divers discovered at least one of the heavy oil tanks on the dirty tug was damaged and contained seawater. Heiltsuk are concerned about the additional impacts of heavy oil from the tug on marine life in the area. Schools of juvenile herring were filmed at the dirty tug and an orca was spotted in Seaforth Channel yesterday.

The seafloor also contains sea urchins, sea cucumbers, a variety of clams, kelp forests and juvenile salmon. Gale Creek is the area where the Heiltsuk commercial and food harvest clam fishery takes place.

TODAY’S PHOTO LINKS: Day 12 – https://spaces.hightail.com/space/Yxnp7

Day 9 – https://spaces.hightail.com/space/pktoA

Day 10 – https://spaces.hightail.com/space/DHMF4

Day 11- https://spaces.hightail.com/space/5qKqP

Day 12 – https://spaces.hightail.com/space/Yxnp7

For more information, contact:

Jo Anne Walton
joawalton@gmail.com
778.953.3103
Bessie Brown
Bbrown@coastalfirstnations.ca

604.722.3331

 

Heiltsuk Communications
ayla.brown@heiltsuknation.ca

(250)957-2381