Steve Ryan celebrates the start of a major cleanup operation to remove 20 years of rotting fish sauce from a St. Mary's factory
The town of St. Mary's, Newfoundland and Labrador, has begun a major cleanup operation to remove approximately one million liters of fermenting fish sauce that has sat in an abandoned factory for over 20 years. Steve Ryan, the volunteer mayor of the town, expressed significant relief as the first load of fetid sludge was trucked away this week, marking the end of a decades-long struggle to secure funding for the project. The Atlantic Seafood Sauce Company, which opened in 1990, was abandoned in 2001 due to regulatory issues, leaving 110 towering vats of capelin fish sauce to ferment in the elements. Workers from Sharp Management, overseen by Glenn Sharp, are draining the vats and mixing the fluid with peat moss to absorb the liquid. The material will be transported to a landfill-lined pit in nearby Sunnyside. While the provincial government is funding the project, Steve Ryan noted that the federal government did not contribute to the costs. The cleanup is expected to be completed by October, finally eliminating the persistent stench that has affected the community for two decades.