Springer Among Orcas Caught
In Vancouver Island Diesel Spill

Thursday, August 23, 2007
VANCOUVER ISLAND, BC - Springer, the orphaned orca found in Elliot Bay and reunited with her pod in 2002, has been spotted near the diesel fuel spill near Vancouver Island.

Biologists say while the spill continues to evaporate, the extent of the damage won't be known for days

They remain worried about dozens of whales swimming in the area, including Springer, who biologist Paul Spong confirms has been sighted.

Spong is the founder of OrcaLab, a research center at Vancouver Island.

The Spill

An aerial view reveals a rainbow sheen of toxic fuel covering a vast area of Johnstone Straight on the north side of Vancouver Island.

The accident occurred Monday when a barge moving logging equipment spilled its load, including some 2,000 gallons of diesel.

It happened just off Robson Bight, a place where Northern resident orcas go for a mysterious ritual of rubbing their bodies on the smooth rocks. It's a routine that forms a basis for the economically critical whale watching industry.

"Eco-tourism has built up since the fishing's collapsed," said Bill Mehan, whale-watching tour skipper. "It's moved to the number one spot - the whale watching and grizzley watching tours and the kayak companies over there."

Tour boat operators say calls from concerned customers are pouring in but so far, the experts say the orcas are showing no obvious signs of problems.

They do worry about the many other creatures. Those fish and other sea mammals can all be food for orcas, so there is concern that they may suffer later from eating them now.

Orcas that breathe diesel fumes can suffer long-term health problems.

"We know every whale personally so we'll know what happened to them," said Alexandra Morton, of the Raincoast Research Society. "I understand it was a mistake but mistakes of this kind simply should not be allowed to happen."

Springer

Springer, known officially as A-73, spent weeks alone after her mother died. Separated from her pod, she had played among the boats in busy Elliott Bay in Seattle. She thrilled ferry riders but had whale experts fearing for her life. She was underweight and had developed a skin condition.

In an unprecedented joint effort, Canadian and U.S. government and private groups joined forces, captured the orphaned whale and nourished her back to health, eventually reuniting her with her great-aunt's pod.

Source: KING 5 News