Seafood processor hit with $1.9M ammonia fine

Anchorage-Seattle-based seafood processor UniSea, Inc. has agreed to pay $1.9 million plus cleanup costs to resolve federal charges of discharging anhydrous ammonia and other wastes from its principal facility on Amaknak Island in Unalaska in the Aleutian Islands off mainland Alaska. UniSea is accused of discharging without a federal permit and failing to timely notify authorities of two large ammonia releases of approximately 17,000 pounds in December 2007. UniSea will be required to perform a benthic survey and potential cleanup of the site’s fish waste pile, and to implement a comprehensive environmental compliance plan to insure that future violations do not occur. UniSea must survey the sea floor to determine the damage caused by the ammonia discharges. The testing, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will oversee, will determine what kind of and how much cleanup will be required. UniSea responded that the releases had been properly reported to the government and the government had not raised any questions about them, nor did they require further investigation, at the time. The government decided that the accidental ammonia releases and other small releases nonetheless violated anti-pollution statutes. “It is important to note that there was absolutely no harm to marine wildlife; no fish or marine mammals were harmed; and there was no danger at any time to the public or UniSea’s employees. No seafood products were impacted in any way,” the company said.