The Nuchatlaht First Nation says it is facing the immediate and ongoing effects of the 8,000-litre diesel fuel spill that took place in Nootka Sound over the weekend.

The B.C. government鈥檚 Environmental Emergency Branch was alerted to an oil spill at a fish farm near Zeballos on Dec. 14. The spilled fuel came from the Norwegian-owned Grieg Seafood (BC) Ltd. salmon farm, which is located beside Lutes Creek in Esperanza Inlet on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

鈥淚鈥檓 extremely upset that these fish farms are still even here despite our efforts to be rid of them. We are always force-fed these decisions to keep fish farms in our territory but we鈥檙e not going to tolerate that anymore,鈥� said Haa鈥檞ilth Kla-kwa-skum Jordan Michael.

The combined environmental factors, season, tide and windflow means that the recently court-won Nuchatlaht aboriginal territory shorelines may be acutely impacted by this spill, according to a Dec. 18 media release from the nation. Broken rock and beach sediments can be technically challenging to mitigate and the Nootka Sound region has an extremely complex and rugged coastline, the nation says. 

READ MORE: 

鈥淚 fish out here regularly and I鈥檓 now afraid to eat anything by the looks of things. It鈥檚 hard to imagine how anyone could ever clean up this kind of toxic damage. It permeates everything and so much damage has already been done. I鈥檓 heartbroken thinking about our orca, Brave Little Hunter, kwiisah蹋i蕯is potentially swimming through this,鈥� said Judae Smith, Nuchatlaht guardian and fisheries technician.

The nation says the fact that human error meant a gas hose could run unattended for upwards of 12 hours pouring diesel directly into Nuchatlaht Ha鈥檋oulthee demonstrates the lack of plans, procedures, and regulatory oversight to ensure that these types of incidents don鈥檛 occur. Every operator in the territory is aware of the need for redundancies, checks-and-balances and safety protocols that take into account the certainty of human error. In 2024 these excuses are no longer acceptable.

"To me, it is at times so difficult those who do not engage or have knowledge to understand, accept, respect our ways, and that all we want to do is better than what we're seeing while keeping our territory pristine.鈥� said Hi-sha-mah-nulth Archie Little, Nuchatlaht Haa鈥檞ilth House Speaker. 鈥淏ecause of our belief is hishuk'ish tsawalk (everything is one), it impacts everything.鈥�

READ ALSO: 

RPBio Nuchatlaht lands and resources manager Roger Dunlop said the diesel has gotten into the rocks and sediments around Steamer Point.

"Yesterday, at high tide, diesel was coming out of the rocks into an area busy with wildlife: marbled murrelets, sea ducks, sea otters and a Stellars sea lion," he said. "Humpback whales were observed in the area.

Dunlop added they could smell diesel in the air at Steamer Point, and without a drone and right light angles, the slicks are hard to find.

鈥淚 have concerns about the response time to prevent damage to the territories, lands, waters and ecosystems, said Mellissa Jack, a Nuchatlaht councillor.

"The contamination of traditional foods as well and the lasting impacts that this will have on long-term food security are immeasurable. There needs to be accountability for the gravity of what has happened and understanding that we need to do everything that we can to protect the territory for generations to come. Nuchatlaht will continue to protect our lands from the harms as a result of irresponsible actions that could have been prevented.鈥�