In 1988 the Nestucca tanker barge spilled 874 000 liters of Bunker C oil into the Pacific. This radio play chronicles volunteer cleanup amid official foot dragging, as oil washes up on 95 miles of BC coast.

Amid 18 foot swells off Washington State, the Nestucca was struck and holed by the tug that was towing her.

Prevailing winter winds drifted the spill along the west coast of Vancouver Island. The heavy oil moved north for days, invisible, beneath the surface, washing up on beaches by New Years Eve. 56,000 seabirds were killed. Many crab and shellfish populations were oiled. Herring spawning areas were hit and sensitive ecosystems damaged. indigenous fishing practices were impacted.

After the recent spill into English Bay from bulk grain carrier MV Marathassa, we look back to another, bigger spill in a more remote area - through the magic of radio drama. So gather 'round the wireless.

This hour-long CBC radio drama is excellent- full of rich detail and character. However, it is an artifact of 1980s and lacks the perspective of the Nuu-Chal-Nulth and other First Nations on whose territory the oil landed.

The potentially severe health impacts of contact with Bunker C oil are not mentioned – and perhaps not known at the time.

DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME. Shoreline oil cleanup is dangerous, requiring specialized training and Personal Protective Equipment.

The CBC doesn’t make radio plays anymore. Radio drama studio 212 was shut in 2012, due to austerity cuts to the public broadcaster’s budget.

We were only able to obtain a copy thanks to Stafford Reid of enviroemerg.ca consulting who got out his cassette recorder back in the late ‘80s and hit record.

“Just a Small Oil Spill” aired in four parts on CBC Radio’s Morningside in 1989. It was written by Donald Halca. In the cast Steven Miller as Dave, Coleen Winton as Beth, Boyd Norman as Serge, Norman Browning as Rick, as well as Lilian Carlson, Ron Halder, Willy Marsh, Laurie Murdock and Steve Ivings. Technical engineering by Gene Loverock and Sound Effects by Joe Silven. Program Assistant was Loretta Joyce. Production Assistant was Stephanie Katourse. Produced in Vancouver by Don Kolletuck.