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Alaskan seafood processor fined $135,000 for Clean Water Act violations

Release Date: 06/29/2010
Contact Information: Chris Gebhardt, NPDES Compliance Officer, (206) 553-0253, [email protected]; Tony Brown, EPA Public Affairs, (206) 553-1203, [email protected]

(Seattle – June 29, 2010) Highland Light Seafoods, LLC, an Alaskan seafood processor headquartered in Seattle, has agreed to pay a $135,000 penalty to settle federal Clean Water Act violations, according to an EPA order.
 
Based on an inspection in December 2008, EPA found that the Highland Light Seafoods' 160 foot catcher-processor vessel, Westward Wind, was not in compliance with its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit while operating in Alaskan waters. Highland Light Seafoods had the following NPDES violations:

• Over the past five years, the company failed to maintain records documenting visual monitoring of the effluent grind size and waste conveyance systems.
• During 2004 and 2005, the company failed to maintain records documenting visual monitoring of the shoreline and sea surface. 
• In 2005, the company violated its NPDES permit when the Westward Wind discharged to Nazan Bay. 
• In 2006, the Westward Wind discharged near the Pribilof Islands without an authorized NPDES permit. 
• On numerous occasions, the Westward Winddischarged seafood waste in quantities greater than the company specified in its application, and
• The company failed to update its application after it made significant changes in its operation.