August 20, 2007

VANCOUVER AQUARIUM ALARMED ABOUT OIL SPILL IN ECOLOGICAL RESERVE

Vancouver, BC: Marine scientists at the Vancouver Aquarium are concerned about an oil spill that took place today after a barge carrying heavy machinery flipped in an ecologically-sensitive portion of the Johnstone Strait. A large oil slick can now be seen in the water, which is part of the Robson Bight/Michael Bigg Ecological Reserve, in the heart of Species at Risk Act (SARA) designated resident killer whale critical habitat.

Two groups of killer whales were nearby at the time of the spill. The area also provides habitat for harbour seals, sea lions, porpoises, humpback whales, various invertebrates and several species of seabirds, which are particularly vulnerable to the effects of oil.

Tomorrow afternoon, the Vancouver Aquarium’s Senior Cetacean Research Scientist Dr. Lance Barrett-Lennard will be heading to Robson Bight to conduct field work, as a regular part of his research. Dr. Barrett-Lennard is available today and part of tomorrow for interviews about the environmental significance of this ecological reserve for local marine life and can discuss the risks to animals in the area posed by this oil spill.

-30-

For further information, please contact:

Brenda Jones

Manager, Public Relations

publicrelations@vanaqua.org