U.S. authorities working to keep orcas away from 'pollution incident' off Vancouver Island

The U.S. Coast Guard and other American agencies are responding to a sunken vessel leaking fuel in Haro Strait, between Vancouver Island and San Juan Island. (Twitter/@USCGPacificNW)

The U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies are responding to a sunken vessel leaking fuel in Haro Strait, between Vancouver Island and San Juan Island.

The U.S. Coast Guard's Pacific Northwest district tweeted around 6 p.m. Saturday that a roughly 15-metre (49-foot) fishing vessel had sunk west of San Juan Island's Sunset Point. 

The vessel had more than 9,800 litres (2,600 gallons) of diesel and oil on board, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, which described the situation as a "pollution incident."

"All crew were rescued by (a) Good Samaritan," the agency said.

An aerial image of the area shows a sheen on the water where the vessel sank.

The cause of the sinking wasn't immediately known. The ship, called the Aleutian Isle, reported it was taking on water about 2 p.m. Saturday, the Coast Guard said.

Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound said personnel spotted an oil sheen about 2.4 kilometres (1.5 miles) in length at around 5 p.m. Saturday.

Some of the sheen had entered nearby Canadian waters, Petty Officer Michael Clark said Sunday.

The Coast Guard was working with the Canadian Coast Guard Regional Operations Centre, the San Juan County Office of Emergency Management, Washington State Department of Ecology and the non-profit Islands' Oil Spill Association on Sunday to contain and recover the spill, Clark said.

In an update Saturday evening, the USCG said it is working with Sound Watch and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to monitor the location of southern resident killer whales and keep them away from the spill if necessary.

"While there are not any whales currently in the area, our agencies are prepared to deploy authorized deterrents," the agency said.

Most of those "authorized deterrents" are sound-based, according to the NOAA website. 

Among the strategies authorities use to keep whales away from fuel spills are "helicopter hazing," which involves flying at low altitudes to create sound and disturb the surface of the water in an effort to make the whales move away; striking underwater pipes with a hammer to make a loud noise; and using "underwater firecrackers" for a similar purpose. 

San Juan Island is about 144 kilometres (90 miles) north of Seattle and 25.6 kilometres (16 miles) east of Victoria, B.C.

"We are working with government and industry partners to ensure an efficient and effective containment and recovery response," U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Brian Dykens said in a statement.

"The local public, the environment and protected marine species are our top priority."

With files from The Associated Press