Sinking of the Aleutian Isle
2022 was marked by the sinking of the FV Aleutian Isle in Haro Strait. After the boat sank on Aug. 13, the vessel eventually settled to a depth of ~240 feet off the west coast of San Juan Island. The boat sank with up to 2,500 gallons of diesel fuel on board and a visible sheen appeared in Haro Strait. Members of the Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW) J pod were spotted swimming just 5 miles south of the sunken ship, but they thankfully headed west toward the Pacific and away from San Juan Island before encountering the sheen. County staff and MRC members played an important role during, and in the aftermath of this incident participating in shoreline surveys, disseminating information to the public through social media, and hosting the Director of San Juan County Department of Emergency Management for a situation debrief at the September MRC meeting. The MRC also decided to draft a letter to County Council and the incident response team highlighting some of their most important concerns about the response itself to help better prepare our county for similar incidents in the future.