Sunken fishing boat removed from orca habitat near Victoria
A 15-metre fishing boat that sank and leaked oil in a critical orca habitat east of Vancouver Island has been removed from the water.
The Canadian Coast Guard confirmed Friday the vessel Aleutian Isle was lifted from the water onto waiting barge. The vessel went down on Aug. 13, coming to a rest in about 60 metres of water with about 10,000 litres of oil and diesel on board.
Five crew members were rescued as the vessel took on water near San Juan Island in Haro Strait, about 25 kilometres east of Victoria.
Crews rushed to contain an oil sheen from the boat before it could foul a key feeding ground for endangered southern resident killer whales.
The area is protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act because it's a popular fishing spot for the orcas. Chinook salmon, the whales' main prey and a species facing its own survival challenges, swim along bluffs on San Juan Island, creating a feeding channel for the orcas.
Crews recovered the vessel earlier this week, floating it to the surface to assess and drain any remaining pollutants from the boat.
The coast guard said Friday there was "no impact to Canadian waters or shorelines during the salvage operation."
A large seine net that floated free of the fishing boat after it went down was recovered and divers also pulled up several panels of a second net that was floating in about 30 metres of water.
Marine crews from both sides of the Canada-U.S. border took measures throughout the salvage operation to deter any whales from venturing near the wreck.
- With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Government proposes new policy for federally regulated employees to disconnect from work
In their 2024 budget, the federal government wants to amend the Canada Labour Code, so employers in federally regulated sectors will eliminate work-related communication with employees outside of scheduled hours. If implemented, this would affect roughly 500,000 employees across the country.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.