Commercial fishing company to pay $100,000 for oil spill in Channel Islands

A Watsonville-based commercial fishing company will pay a $100,000 settlement for an oil spill after one of its vessels ran aground off of Santa Cruz Island in 2022. 

The captain of the vessel fell asleep while operating the vessel after only sleeping for three hours over a two-day period, according to an investigation led by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Of the $100,000 penalty, $20,000 will fund supplemental environmental projects, $15,000 will go to the California Hazardous Materials Investigators Association and $5,000 will go to the Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute to rehabilitate injured marine wildlife.

Santa Barbara District Attorney John Savrnoch announced Monday that his Consumer and Environmental Protection Unit reached a settlement with the owner of the vessel, Ocean Angel VI LLC.

The 60-foot squid fishing vessel Speranza Marie hit shore at Chinese Harbor in Channel Island National Park on Dec. 15, 2022 and spilled 1,300 gallons of diesel fuel and oil byproducts into the Pacific Ocean. Several hundred birds were covered in oil and the sheen from the spill extended for nearly a mile into the ocean. 

“This case is yet another reminder of what can happen when individuals operate motorized vehicles — both on land and at sea — without proper sleep.” Savrnoch said. “Hopefully this incident serves as a reminder to those who operate commercial fishing vessels of how important it is to implement appropriate sleep and rest policies,” Savrnoch said.

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