Island Packers enters settlement for depositing paint-related debris into Ventura Harbor

VENTURA, Calif. - The Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced Monday that Island Packers Corporation entered a settlement with the DA's Office for dumping toxic substances into the Ventura Harbor last year.

The incident began on April 29, 2020, when the California Department of Fish & Wildlife (DFW) was notified that an Island Packers vessel named "Islander" was being worked on in the Ventura Harbor.

The maintenance work involved sanding the deck of the boat without any containment measures in places.

The DA's Office said this caused a substantial amount of paint related debris to fall into the water and float into the harbor.

Immediately following the incident, Island Packers reportedly cooperated with the investigation implemented remedial measures to help prevent something similar from happening again in the future.

This settlement reached requires Island Packers to pay the DFW $2,000 for investigative costs, pay a $500 civil penalty to the District Attorney's Office and pay $5,000 to the Ventura County Harbor Master to cover oil spill response equipment and a drone needed to assess the situation by air.

The settlement also includes an injuctive term requiring Island Packers to comply with all applicable law related to Fish & Game Code section 5650.

The Island Packers offers year-round cruises on three large commercial vessels to and from the Channel Islands National Park and Marine Sanctuary.

They offer both year-round and winter whale watching trips.