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Fishing boat sinks at U.S. border near Victoria, hundreds of litres of diesel aboard

HENRY ISLAND, WASH. — The United States Coast Guard says it's working to mitigate a pollution threat after a fishing boat sank just over the Canada-U. S. border not far from Victoria.
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The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Adelie rescued a man and a dog after a commercial fishing vessel sank west of Henry Island, Wash., as shown in this handout image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard on Friday May 3, 2024. The cutter crew located the survivor and the dog and transported them to Port Angeles in stable condition. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-U.S. Coast Guard Coast Guard Cutter Adelie

HENRY ISLAND, WASH. — The United States Coast Guard says it's working to mitigate a pollution threat after a fishing boat sank just over the Canada-U. S. border not far from Victoria. 

The coast guard says in a social media statement that a man and his dog were rescued off Henry Island in the San Juan Islands after the 14-metre commercial fishing boat the Chief Joseph went down on Friday. 

It says the man and the dog made it to a life raft before the boat sank and both were rescued from Henry Island. 

The coast guard says a helicopter flight over the area showed a 90-metre fuel sheen on the water along with debris from the sunken vessel. 

It says the fishing boat was reported to be carrying about 1,500 to 1,900 litres of diesel fuel. 

The coast guard says Global Dive and Salvage, an oil spill response organization, has been contracted to evaluate the condition of the ship and mitigate the threat of pollution. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2024. 

The Canadian Press

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