VICTORIA — Human error during a fuel transfer at a fish farm off the west coast of British Columbia has resulted in a spill into the water of up to 8,000 litres of diesel.

The B.C. government says in a report on its website that the spill happened Saturday at the Grieg Seafood fish farm near Zeballos, on the northwest side of Vancouver Island.

The report says the company has placed an absorbent boom around the spill site, but natural resources consultants say they haven’t been able to find any recoverable diesel on the water.

It says a visible sheen has been seen north and west of the spill site and the Canadian Coast Guard has sent out an advisory to other mariners to avoid the area of the spill.

The government says it is co-ordinating the clean up with Grieg Seafood, the group Strategic Natural Resources Consultants, leaders in the villages of Zeballos and Tahsis, and the Ehattesaht and Nuchatlaht First Nations.

It says the Ehattesaht First Nation has issued a clam harvesting alert and closure in the Zeballos Inlet.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 16, 2024.

The Canadian Press