Cleanup crews headed to the environmentally sensitive Robson Bight Monday night after a barge dropped its load, spilling diesel fuel into an area frequented by a pod of about 200 killer whales.

The oil slick, estimated to have spread two to eight kilometres, will likely affect the resident orcas, who use the bight to feed and rub their bellies, said Environment Ministry spokeswoman Kate Thompson.

Birds, including loons, cormorants and ducks, as well as salmon, herring and sardines could also be affected by the slick in Johnstone Strait.

Dan Bate, spokesman for the Coast Guard, said the barge was being towed by a 38-foot tug, the Kathy L, owned Gowlland Towing of Campbell River, when it listed and then flipped at 11:30 a.m.

Its load, which included logging equipment, a pickup truck, bulldozer, an ambulance, a bus and a fuel tanker truck with a capacity of about 10,000 litres of diesel, has sunk to the ocean floor.

The oil slick, estimated to have spread two to eight kilometres, will likely affect the resident orcas, who use the bight to feed and rub their bellies, said Environment Ministry spokeswoman Kate Thompson.

Birds, including loons, cormorants and ducks, as well as salmon, herring and sardines could also be affected by the slick in Johnstone Strait.

Dan Bate, spokesman for the Coast Guard, said the barge was being towed by a 38-foot tug, the Kathy L, owned Gowlland Towing of Campbell River, when it listed and then flipped at 11:30 a.m.

Its load, which included logging equipment, a pickup truck, bulldozer, an ambulance, a bus and a fuel tanker truck with a capacity of about 10,000 litres of diesel, has sunk to the ocean floor.

The barge and equipment belongs to Ted LeRoy Trucking Ltd. of Chemainus, a contractor for TimberWest Forest Corp.

Burrard Clean has been contracted to mop up the spill.

"It's a bad way to start the week off," LeRoy said. "We've never had anything like this in about 30 years."

Thompson said cleanup crews headed out Monday night to assess the impact of the slick, which occurred about 800 metres from the ecological reserve at Robson Bight.

"Everybody's mobilized and on their way," Thompson said. "We're talking about an environmentally sensitive area, and something that could be spread out for kilometres."

A group of kayakers helped collect some of the smaller debris that was littering the strait on Monday.

"It's quite a slick," said Jim Borrowman, of Stubbs Island Whale Watching at Telegraph Cove. "It goes for several miles; there were patches all the way up the strait."

A Regional Environmental Emergency Team, involving coast guard, Environment Canada and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans will coordinate the cleanup.

Jennifer Lash, executive director of the Living Oceans Society, said: "We can't afford to have oil going back and forth in Johnstone Strait.

"Even if it doesn't directly affect the whales, it's affecting the ecosystem."

Robson Bight consists of 467 hectares of upland and 1,248 hectares of foreshore, was established to provide a sanctuary for killer whales.

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