Behind The Scenes

Responding to the oil leaking from the MV Schiedyk has required many different skill sets, types of equipment, and vessels to manage everything from skimming oily debris off the water, to accommodation for response crews, to planning for oily debris waste disposal. While the Canadian Coast Guard, members of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation, BC Ministry [...]

The Environmental Unit (EU) plays a critical role in the Incident Command Post, providing Unified Command with science based recommendations to minimize the impacts of oil upwelling from the MV Schiedyk on the environment. The unit is comprised of experts and knowledge holders from the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation, Hesquiaht First Nation, Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, Environment [...]

A technical assessment is the next major step in addressing the oil leaking from the MV Schiedyk. A contract for the assessment has been awarded, and the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation and the Environmental Unit have identified a window of opportunity in April and May as the best time for the assessment to proceed, with reduced [...]

  Behind the Scenes: Site-Specific Weather Forecasting Keeping responders safe is of the utmost importance. As some response operations are weather-dependant, having reliable weather forecasts helps the operations team figure out what they can accomplish safely. As part of the Bligh Island Shipwreck response, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is providing the Unified Command [...]

  Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) manages the Pacific herring fishery, but did you know that herring management staff are also working with the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation and the Canadian Coast Guard at the Bligh Island shipwreck response? As is common at this time of year, Pacific herring are expected to arrive in Nootka Sound [...]

Responders working on the Bligh Island Shipwreck face a medium to high risk due to the nature of the work during a response, weather conditions in Zuciarte Channel, sea conditions and temperature, and sea state. To address this risk, the CCGS Moorhen, Coast Guard’s Safety Vessel, is on scene to monitor the conditions, and work [...]

The remoteness and mountainous geography of Nootka Sound on the West Coast of Vancouver Island is beautiful but it is a challenge when it comes to communicating on the water. For the Bligh Island response efforts, where there is no direct line of sight from the staging area to the spill site because of the [...]

The Bligh Island shipwreck is located in the traditional territory of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation. From time immemorial and today, members of the Nation walk the beaches, travel and fish on the waters, and know the places, animals and birds, winds and landscapes better than anyone else. Since the M/V Schiedyk started leaking oil at [...]

The DFO Marine Mammal Response program (MMRP) has been on-site in Nootka Sound since early December 2020. A member of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation has joined the surveys and is a key part of our team. The MMRP is conducting marine mammal surveys to evaluate the risk to marine mammals (sea otters in particular) to [...]

The Bligh Island Shipwreck response has been aided by the installation of weather stations by Fisheries and Oceans Canada scientists. In late December, Institute of Ocean Sciences staff spent several days equipping three aquaculture facilities in Nootka Sound with weather stations. Winds in mountainous nearshore regions are often highly variable, and these stations provide critical [...]