An oil spill reported on Scandinavian beach in Dillingham – a popular area for salmon subsistence – has brought all fishing in the area to a halt. It’s one of just three beaches accessible by road used for subsistence.
“So we had tribal members that on the 22nd of July saw the sheen of oil,” said Kim Johnson, Tribal administrator for the Curyung Tribal Council. “They smelled the oil really bad. I was on the beach yesterday and you still can smell the fuel smell down at the beach.”
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game received reports as early as Tuesday night, however did not have an estimated timeline for the spill.
The source of the spill and how much oil went into the water is still unknown, and, according to the department, no one has come forward claiming responsibility.
Fish and Game’s Dillingham area management biologist, Tim Sands, says the local Fish and Game office has been contacted by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation but haven’t been informed of any response plans as of this (Thurs. 7/24) morning.
Representatives for that department declined to comment on the spill in Dillingham.
He says given how little information is available, fishermen should take caution when setting nets at or near Scandinavian Beach.
“If you can smell fuel, if you can see a sheen, then you probably want to wait a few more tides before you put your net in,” Sands said. “If you can, go somewhere else and fish, if that's an option.”
Sands says for many spills, the oil is left to dissipate on its own.
Johnson, with the Tribe, says the area is vital for resident subsistence fishermen. But, she says without a response plan, they are left waiting while losing valuable harvest days.
“We only have three beaches here in Dillingham,” Johnson said. “And to lose a critical beach like that for anybody in our community to put out their net to catch their winter supply– I want to do something.”
According to a local response plan published by the City of Dillingham, there are materials, like oil absorbent pads, an incinerator to dispose of the pads, and a boom to contain the spill, in city inventory. Johnson says she is hoping DEC will authorize the city to release the key so she can access these materials and take action.
This is the 3rd oil spill in the Nushagak district this season, according to Fish and Game. The first two were in the commercial fishing areas and Sands says in both cases the oil drifted out of the district before the next scheduled opening so it did not impact commercial fishing.
Last week, the department closed commercial fishing in Chignik Bay because of another oil spill, according to Area Management Biologist Carlton Burnside. The area reopened Tuesday, after the fuel had mostly dissipated.
