Oil spill threatens B.C. wildlife

Crews wereworkingSaturday to clean upan oil spill that stretches more than a kilometre in Howe Sound, north of Vancouver.

The oil leaked from the fuel tanks of the cargo ship Westwood Annette after it rammed into a pier near Squamish on Friday afternoon.

While two holes in the ship were repaired quickly, wind and waves have pushed the oil hundreds of metres into the sound, blackening the shoreline of the Squamish estuary.

Dan Bate, communications officer for the Canadian Coast Guard, said an estimated 60 tonnes of heavy, sticky bunker fuel spilled. He added there has been"some impact" on an environmentally sensitive marsh.

"I understand there is quite a large amount of wildlife in this area, but I don't have any official confirmation of numbers or the type of wildlife." Bate said.

The area is a habitat for bald eagles, salmon, sealsand other marine life.

Burrard Clean, a containment and cleanup company based in North Vancouver, has set up skimmers and other equipment in the sound.

Local beaches have been closed while the Coast Guard co-ordinates the cleanup effort.