Diesel fuel containment from a boat carrying 16,000 pounds of squid continues off Santa Cruz Island, the Unified Command responding to the spill reported Friday night. The Speranza Marie held about 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel and an unknown amount of hydraulic fuel when it hit shore at Chinese Harbor around 2 a.m. on December 15. The island is about 27 miles directly south of the City of Santa Barbara and the largest of the Channel Islands.
The six people aboard were rescued by another fishing boat and taken to Ventura, while a toxic-response team and cleanup crew headed to the island, which is part of the Channel Islands National Park and Marine Sanctuary.
A sheen was visible from the boat, which is owned by Ocean Angel VI LLC, north about a half-mile to Coche Point on Thursday and had decreased by Friday. Diesel fuel is light and floats, rather than sinking, and evaporates within a few days, according to the state Office of Response and Restoration. Contaminated debris has been removed from the water, and the squid is being transferred to decrease the quantity of wildlife it is attracting. So far, one dead cormorant has been retrieved.