[KWlocate] Sunken 50-Foot Fishing Vessel Near San Juan Island - 8/13/2022 @ 1755

Sun Aug 14 00:21:58 PDT 2022

David, Don, Grace and other members of locate@ list and original recipients
-- 

Regarding the 2600-gallon diesel spill today between County Park and
Smuggler's Cove, San Juan Island, I am offering my opinion as an
oceanographer ASAP --

Based on the UW Live Ocean model of Puget Sound surface currents
<https://faculty.washington.edu/pmacc/LO/p5_PS_speed_top.html> (animation
of today and forecast for next 2 days) and many sightings today of J, K,
and L pod members until sunset from Whale Sightings in San Juan Island and
other Facebook groups (summarized at acartia.io where any hearings tonight
will be added in real time as red circles) suggest to me that now/tonight
and tomorrow would be optimal times to be deterring the SRKWs from
northward travel in Haro Strait, if the spill has not been contained and
the surface concentrations in air or water are deemed deleterious. The
first ebb is peaking now and there will be a bigger one tomorrow (8/14)
from 10:00-17:00, and in the interim there will be a low-exchange tidal
cycle in which surface diesel concentrations should be expected to peak
above the sunken vessel. In any of these tidal phases, it would be
non-optimal were the whales to travel north through the spill from their
last known position off Eagle Point at 21:15.

Please see screen grabs for a visual synopsis, including photos taken by
the Marine Monitor system of the responding USCG vessel Swordfish.

The Orcasound <http://live.orcasound.net> listening community has been
activated and along with the sighting networks, we will continue to add
points to the Acartia map as they come in from visual or acoustic
observations tonight.

Does anyone know what time the vessel sank, or more specifically, when the
diesel slick began to form? If it was much before today's big ebb set in
around 8am, the SRKWs may have already been exposed...

Best of luck (to the SRKWs),
Scott (in Seattle)

[image: aerial-slick.jpeg]

[image: Screen Shot 2022-08-13 at 10.56.19 PM.png]

[image: Screen Shot 2022-08-13 at 10.56.43 PM.png]
[image: boom.jpeg]
[image: uscg.jpeg]

On Sat, Aug 13, 2022 at 7:50 PM Susan Berta <susan at orcanetwork.org> wrote:

> Boom is there on scene but not being effective due to high current, from
> WDFW. They will be doing another overflight in about an hour.
> Update/correction - the dive team is en route and won't arrive until
> this evening and then will work tonight to remove remaining fuel and or tow
> the boat out of there.
> sb
>
> Susan Berta,
> *Orca Network *
> *Connecting Whales and People in the Pacific Northwest  *
> Programs include the Whale Sighting Network, Langley Whale Center, Central
> Puget Sound Marine Mammal Stranding Network, Free Tokitae Campaign,
> Educational programs, Advocacy and Events
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Sat, Aug 13, 2022 at 7:38 PM Howard Garrett <howard at orcanetwork.org>
> wrote:
>
>> Thanks Fred, Roger that. Very scary. Js, Ks and Ls just came in from the
>> Ocean to the south end and are shuffling northward up SJI.
>> Last seen a few minutes ago of Edward Point, 1 mile south of Landbank's
>> Westside Preserve.
>> Stewart is at CWR and will watch and listen for blows.
>> Divers are trying to plug leaks, but so far there isn't a boom around the
>> sheen that is blowing north at last report.
>> Fred are you on island to watch and listen for whales?
>> Howard
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Aug 13, 2022 at 7:06 PM Fred Felleman <felleman at comcast.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> >
>>>
>>> *Subject:* *Fwd: Sunken 50-Foot Fishing Vessel Near San Juan Island -
>>> 8/13/2022 @ 1755*
>>>
>>> rVessel Near San Juan Island - 8/13/2022 @ 1755
>>>
>>>
>>> 
>>>
>>> Resource Partners – Ecology is responding to a sunken 50-foot fishing
>>> vessel, the ALEUTIAN ISLE, on the west side of San Juan Island.  This
>>> incident started as a search and rescue, and reportedly all persons on
>>> board were rescued safely.  The vessel sank in approximately 100 feet of
>>> water at lat/lon: 48.552778/-123.1725.   The fishing vessel has a fuel
>>> capacity of 4,000 gallons and was reported to have 2,500 gallons of diesel
>>> on board at the time of the sinking.  The Coast Guard performed an
>>> overflight of the area and is reporting a two mile oil sheen traveling
>>> north from the sinking location.
>>>
>>>
>>> Ecology, the US Coast Guard, and San Juan County are responding, and two
>>> response contractors are enroute; Global Diving and Salvage and Tow Boat
>>> USA.  Global Diving is mobilizing a dive team tonight and will attempt to
>>> either remove or secure the diesel fuel on board.
>>>
>>>
>>> I have attached a draft ICS-232 Resources at Risk.  Please let me know
>>> if you have any comments on the resources and potential strategies
>>> identified.
>>>
>>>
>>> This is all the information I currently have on this incident, and I
>>> will provide updates as additional information is available.  Please let me
>>> know if you have any questions or concerns.
>>>
>>>
>>> Best Regards,
>>>
>>>
>>> David Byers
>>>
>>> Response Section Manager
>>>
>>> Washington Department of Ecology
>>>
>>> PO Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600
>>>
>>> Cell: 360-790-6899 | Email: david.byers at ecy.wa.gov<mailto:
>>> david.byers at ecy.wa.gov>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> *Howard Garrett*
>> *Orca  Network*
>> info at orcanetwork.org
>> www.orcanetwork.org
>> 1-866-ORCANET
>>
>>
>> *Orca Network - Connecting whales and people in the Pacific Northwest *
>> *Dedicated to raising awareness about the whales of the Pacific
>> Northwest, and the importance of providing them healthy and safe
>> habitats.Projects include the Whale Sighting Network and Education
>> Programs, the Langley Whale Center, the Retire Tokitae/Lolita Campaign, and
>> the Central Puget Sound Marine Mammal Stranding Network.*
>>
>
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