Tug Cindy Lee; Jackolof Bay, Homer, Alaska

Jackolof Bay, Homer, Alaska | 1988-Jul-18

Initial Notification: On the morning of July 18, 1988, NOAA's Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program (OCSEAP) office was notified by its Kasitsna Bay lab that a small oil spill from a tug and barge operation had occurred near the head of Jackolof Bay. At the time, OCSEAP was conducting a controlled experiment in Jackolof Bay on the effect of dissolved hydrocarbons on migrating salmon. The tug Cindy Lee and the barge were apparently under contract to the Seldovia Native Association. While mining gravel from Jackolof Creek (a salmon migration stream), the barge grounded and lost a small amount of diesel fuel. Sheen was reported on the water, as well as a small amount of oiling of the high tide wetlands at the head of Jackolof Bay. The area of sheen was estimated to measure roughly 500 yards by 200 yards. USCG district 17.