The Irving Whale and Environmental Governance in the Gulf of St. Lawrence

In 1970 the oil barge Irving Whale, carrying a cargo of Bunker C oil, sank to the seafloor. During the weeks that followed a portion of the oil leaked into Gulf waters. Initial plans to recover the full cargo were frustrated and the barge rested on the seafloor for a further 25 years before the eventual remediation, by lifting. Over this time, the Canadian policy framework for marine environmental protection was transformed, from virtual laissez-faire to a multi-layered regulatory regime. The road to the eventual barge lift and remediation project reveals a complex interplay of forces that include salvage engineering, bio-physical science, and risk assessment, all mediated through federal bureaucratic politics and corporate-state bargaining.