When 8,000 litres of diesel spilled from a Grieg Seafood salmon farm near Zeballos, B.C., in December 2024, local shellfish harvesters lost their livelihoods for months. The spill also threatened nearby wild salmon habitat, along with the tourism economy that depends on this spectacular region of northwestern Vancouver Island. 

B.C.’s polluter-pay policy requires the polluter to cover the costs for the response and environmental sampling. After the spill, we accessed over 400 pages of provincial documents to shed light on how the response to the disaster proceeded. Our findings have already received attention from local media, with Chek News and Business in Vancouver covering the story.

Shockingly, the documents reveal troubling delays and control issues. Early sampling after a disaster like this is critical for accurately assessing the damage. The longer the wait, the more time the spill has to dissipate—potentially masking its true impacts. If delayed long enough, sampling could even suggest there were no significant negative effects, a scenario that could provide Grieg Seafood with substantial financial benefits through reduced fines and cleanup costs.

The documents show that provincial staff involved in the response were concerned and frustrated with Grieg Seafood and its consultants over the delayed sampling. Pages 150–155 contain the bulk of the most troubling email exchanges. Here are a few examples of what government staff wrote:

“The main issue seems to be the sudden lack of urgency regarding the sampling. Under different circumstances, there would likely be much more pressure to proceed” (See page 150)

“There’s significant frustration about the lack of an approved sampling and safety plan, especially since people were booking travel and accommodations to work this weekend. Now, with no clear explanation, the weekend work has been canceled, despite the provincial team being ready to go based on the initial plan.” (page 150)

“From my perspective, it seems like there’s more focus on refining the plan with comments rather than moving forward with the original intent. Delaying sampling by another two weeks will likely show no impacts, which raises the question: why would we prioritize sampling quickly for other spills if waiting is an option?” (page 150)

In addition, local governments were sidelined from the spill response, despite repeated requests to be included. Pages 2–10 of the documents contain heated email exchanges between a member of the Strathcona Regional District, Grieg Seafood, and provincial officials. The following passage from the Strathcona Regional District to Tim Lelliott of Grieg Seafood and others captures the start of this tension:

“Hi Tim 

I consider your answer unacceptable. The Strathcona Regional District and our member municipalities are not the General Public. A Public Information Officer informs the general public. We are not the general public. The ICS [Incident Command System] meetings are to inform those with an operational interest and role in this response, which these local governments deserve. 

I will again request that the SRD and our member municipalities receive the meeting invitations. I’ll also happily provide language from the Emergency and Disaster Management Act that contradicts any claim you may put forward that we don’t deserve a spot at this table.” (page 9) 

Perhaps if local governments were at the table, there would be more oversight and rigour to the spill response? 

It’s important to note that in 2017 a diesel spill from a Cermaq fish farm in the Broughton Archipelago resulted in a $500,000 fine—far less than the $1.4 million sought by prosecutors. The judge reduced the penalty largely because no harm to wildlife was proven. This example shows how crucial timely sampling is: the detection (or lack) of impacts can directly determine how much a polluter has to pay. The same concern now hangs over the recent Grieg diesel spill, where delays in sampling could minimize the consequences for the company.

Is B.C.’s polluter pay policy truly designed to protect coastal communities, wild salmon, and our natural wealth, or does it give industry too much power to rig the system? We’ll continue to track this story and see how much Grieg is fined. In the meantime, this is yet another example of why factory fish farms need to be removed from B.C. immediately. Please take a minute to leave a message with the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.