Fishing boat that sank near Vancouver Island recovered

A 15-metre fishing vessel that sank in U.S. waters near Vancouver Island in August has been recovered.

The area, just off the coast of San Juan Island, is considered critical habitat for southern resident killer whales.

"There's all sorts of materials that are hazardous that went down when the boat went down,” said Kelley Balcomb-Bartok, spokesperson with the Pacific Whale Watching Association, about the recovery of the vessel Aleutian Isle.

Balcomb-Bartok’s father lives 200 metres from where the boat went down on Aug. 13. The family watched as diesel fuel floated to the surface from the wreck.

"The estimates are that after the first couple of days, although there were the vents that may still be leaking diesel, the tanks themselves were still intact,” said Balcomb-Bartok.

The U.S. Coast Guard quickly contained the spill.

Divers then spent the next few weeks diving to depths of up to 76 metres in order to secure two-inch cables around the vessel.

"They're having to work in about a half-hour window and then it's an hour and a half or two hours of decompression to the surface and then it's another several hours in a decompression chamber,” said Balcomb-Bartok. "All to get one half hour worth of work at 200-plus feet down in the dark."

A plan is now being developed to drain the remaining fuel and water from the vessel before it can be lifted onto a barge.

"Right now she's fragile and therefore they're concerned that by just simply lifting her at this point, she could break and that of course would be a disaster," said Balcomb-Bartok.

"Both on our side with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and on the U.S. side, we are working collaboratively to ensure that whales stay clear and to make sure any potential damages are being avoided," said Jeff Brady, a superintendent of environmental response for the Canadian Coast Guard.

In order to keep whales and other wildlife out of the area during the recovery operation, a whale deterrent team was established.

"Whales have been in the area and whales have had to be deterred in the area," said Brady.

Crews expect it could still take several days to drain the remaining fuel from the Aleutian Isle and lift it onto the barge.