As Monika Wieland Shields looked out from the west edge of San Juan Island on Tuesday, the diesel sheen from a fishing boat that sunk Saturday was less pronounced.

And by Wednesday, almost 4,000 feet of booms had been dropped into nearby ecologically sensitive areas to absorb the leaked fuels on the Washington state-Greater Victoria marine border. Knowing that endangered orcas had come eerily close to the site while other ecological impacts remain unknown, Shields said a better response was needed to protect wildlife.

sa国际传媒淗aving trained responders and equipment ready to deter marine mammals from an active spill zone seems like something that needs to be deployed within hours rather than days,sa国际传媒� Shields, the U.S.-based Orca Behavior Institutesa国际传媒檚 director, said in an interview.

The institute tracked the entire southern resident killer whale population heading into Haro Strait on the afternoon of the spill, but luckily they turned around just a few miles short of the affected area.

sa国际传媒淗aving almost the entire population exposed to diesel is not conducive to them recovering,sa国际传媒� Shields said of the close call. Noting itsa国际传媒檚 not unusual for all 74 known southern residents to travel together in summer, a catastrophic spill could wipe out the remaining population, she added.

sa国际传媒淪o many people care about these whales and are doing so much to help the population recover, but one accident could reverse all of that hard work and could result in the extinction of this population.

sa国际传媒淎nd thatsa国际传媒檚 just not acceptable.sa国际传媒�

The orcas have since kept their distance, but Shields frets about other animals sa国际传媒� like the Biggs killer, minke and humpback whales, harbour seals, steller sea lions and otters sa国际传媒� coming into contact with the fuels.

sa国际传媒淲e donsa国际传媒檛 really know the impacts on marine life yet, but itsa国际传媒檚 certainly a concern.sa国际传媒�

Theresa国际传媒檚 also worry surrounding whether marine birds such as marbled murrelets and tufted puffins sa国际传媒� which are threatened and endangered, respectively sa国际传媒� were exposed. Aerial photos taken Monday (Aug. 15) placed the murrelets on San Juan Island and showed the sheen heading toward Smith Island sa国际传媒� one of the puffinssa国际传媒� local breeding spots.

Most of a seine fishing net that floated free from the wreck was pulled from the water on Tuesday, while divers removed some parts of a second net located 30 metres under the surface.

A statement from Jon Ladyga, the responsesa国际传媒檚 on-scene coordinator, said theysa国际传媒檙e proud of all the involved agencies for minimizing the pollutionsa国际传媒檚 environmental impacts.

sa国际传媒淲hile optimistic about the on-water and shoreline assessments, we recognize that critical work remains,sa国际传媒� he wrote.

For Shields, the incident has brought a hard realization to the forefront sa国际传媒� given the number of boats, freighters and tankers traversing the area, it likely isnsa国际传媒檛 a matter of if, but when a larger accident will happen. She hopes the relatively small spill puts a focus on better preparation and speedier responses that ensure marine life is protected.

sa国际传媒淭his is very concerning and very much a wake-up call.sa国际传媒�

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