October 19, 2004
Tuesday

The Northwest office of the Environmental Protection Agency announced last week that Trident Seafoods Corporation, which operates the Naknek Cannery in Naknek, Alaska has agreed to pay $18,000 in penalties for violating the federal Clean Water Act.

After a June 2003 inspection at the cannery, an EPA inspector determined "that the company was violating important terms of its Clean Water Act permit." The permit allows Trident to discharge wastes into the Naknek River under specific conditions. Among the violations noted are:

• failure to properly treat seafood processing waste and ensure seafood wastes discharged into the Naknek River do not exceed one-half inch in diameter;
• failure to conduct monitoring as required,
• failure to maintain seafood waste conveyance systems, and
• failure to submit required reports

"Seafood processing is a critical element of Alaska's economy," said Mike Bussell, Director of the EPA's Enforcement and Compliance office in Seattle. "But it needn't be done at the expense of the environment that the seafood industry depends upon."

"In taking strong enforcement actions, we help level the playing field by forcing non-compliant operators to invest in treatment technologies and practices that their competitors have adopted in order to obey the law and protect their environment."

The agreement between the EPA and Trident is subject to a 30-day comment period.

Naknek is located on the north bank of the Naknek River, at the northeastern end of Bristol Bay. It is 297 miles southwest of Anchorage. The first salmon cannery opened on the Naknek River in 1890. By 1900, there were approximately 12 canneries in Bristol Bay. The Homestead Act enabled canneries to acquire land for their plants, and also made land available to other institutions and individuals. The parcel owned by the Russian Orthodox Church on the north bank of the River was the first land recorded in Naknek. Squatters built shelters on the church property and were eventually sold lots in what became the center of Naknek. A post office was established in 1907. Naknek has developed over the years as a major fishery center

The region was first settled over 6,000 years ago by Yup'ik Eskimos and Athabascan Indians. In 1821, the original Eskimo village of "Naugeik" was noted by Capt. Lt. Vasiliev. By 1880, the village was called Kinuyak. It was later spelled Naknek by the Russian Navy. The Russians built a fort near the village and fur trappers inhabited the area for some time prior to the U.S. purchase of Alaska.

Source of EPA News:

EPA
Web Site

 

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