The Kitoi Bay Hatchery is the largest one in the Kodiak Archipelago, with targets to release more than 200 million salmon each year. And on Labor Day, the 112-foot tender, Sea Ern, grounded just a few miles from that hatchery and spilled up to 3,500 gallons of diesel nearby.
The state’s Department of Fish and Game closed the area to fishing, but reopened the area within the week.
“This present fuel spill came on the heels of another vessel that sank a few days prior and also leaked a small amount of fuel,” said Tina Fairbanks, the executive director for the Kodiak Regional Aquaculture Association, which runs the hatchery. “The hatchery staff was poised to respond very rapidly and already had a plan in mind, so that gave them an opportunity to be at less of a scramble.”
She said the first, smaller spill meant hatchery workers were already monitoring for oil when the Sea Ern was damaged.
The team there tried to seal themselves in with two rings of protective boom, a sort of floating barrier, to keep contaminated water from reaching the facility. Some fuel got through, so staff ultimately set up a third ring.
Fairbanks said crews used sorbent pads to collect oil that pooled near the hatchery’s boat dock. She estimated less than two gallons made its way through.
“The fuel that did get inside inner Kitoi Bay did not ultimately threaten our broodstock or our infrastructure in any way,” she said.
Outside the hatchery’s protective circles, nearly all of the oil in the area has either been collected or dissipated, and the boom was disassembled. An oil response boat that was dispatched by Sea Ern’s insurance has since returned to Kodiak.
Anna Carey is an environmental program manager for the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. She said diesel is lighter and tends to evaporate quicker than other fuels, and the department will continue to monitor for any long-term impacts.
“We’ll definitely be watching this area for a while, making sure that there’s no additional cleanup needed,” she said.
Carey added the Sea Ern has since been returned to Kodiak for repairs.
“The salvage vessel towed it most of the way to Kodiak, and then it did finish the voyage under its own power,” she said. “They put a patch on the bow where the damage was before they transited, and that transit plan was approved by the Coast Guard.”
Fairbanks, with the hatchery, said they got lucky this time around.
The 3,000 – 3,500 gallons was only about a quarter of the fuel on the damaged tender, and the hatchery is months away from its release schedule. Staff also haven’t noticed any significant dieoffs from fish they’re harvesting eggs from.
“They’ve been watching those very closely, and we are perhaps hyper vigilant about that,” Fairbanks said. “We haven’t seen any more mortality than we would expect for this time of year.”
Fairbanks said the crew there hasn’t reported any significant dieoffs from the spill.
Oil spills and sheen can be reported to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation by calling 1 (800) 478-9300.
