On Dec. 14, 2024, a fish farm off Vancouver Island was transferring fuel from a barge when something went wrong.

By morning, an estimated 8,000 litres of diesel had spilled into Zeballos Inlet.

Over the coming days, aircraft and boats scrambled to assess the spread of the fuel — all under a polluter-pays model overseen through a unified command co-led by the fish farm’s owner, Grieg Seafood.

But more than three weeks later, testing that should have taken place had been delayed, according to records released through a federal access to information request.

Critics say the incident raises questions about the role played by companies in responding to their own pollution, and whether the whole system is ready to handle a major oil spill.

On Jan. 8, 2025, D’Arcy Sego — emergency planning a

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