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