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Four Seafood Processing Facilities in Kodiak, Alaska reach Settlement with EPA for Violations of the Clean Water Act

Release Date: 9/1/2005
Contact Information: Athena Ralstin
ralstin.athena@epa.gov
(206) 553-6318

September 1, 2005


Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced settlement with four of Alaska's seafood processors for violations of the Clean Water Act (CWA). These four companies will pay fines, that combined, will exceed $190,000 for violations that threaten the aquatic environment in the surrounding waterways around Kodiak, Alaska.

Some of the common violations found at these facilities include: Unauthorized drains discharging unprocessed seafood waste; failure to follow EPA's standard monitoring procedures for oil and grease; failure to have a copy of the permit on-site; and, failure to develop a Quality Assurance/Quality Control Plan.

Seafood processors' waste consists of a combination of dissolved and solid particles that primarily consist of shell, muscle, fat, organs, and bone. Larger pieces of waste, when discharged into the aquatic environment, do not easily disperse and accumulate causing unsightly foam on the surface and an increase in turbidity which reduces the health of the ecosystem.

Consent agreements and final orders for settling EPA's claims against Alaska Fresh Seafood, Inc., Western Alaska Fisheries, Inc., Alaska Pacific Seafood, and Global Seafood North American, LLC have been reached.

"These actions have caused the seafood industry to pay more attention to their permit." said Kim Ogle, Region 10 water compliance unit manager. "By protecting water quality, seafood processors help insure the future of their industry."

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Related Links:

Clean Water Act (www.epa.gov/r5water/cwa.htm)

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