Decades in the making, work begins to remove rotten fish sauce from St. Mary’s plant

Decades of fighting the smell from a rotting fish sauce plant in the Newfoundland and Labrador community of St. Mary’s have finally proved successful, as cleanup crews began work on Tuesday.

“I think we’re to a point where we’re there. We’re actually really close to the finish line.” St. Mary’s Mayor Steve Ryan told reporters on Tuesday, who hopes it can now be cleaned up once and for all.

“To be known as the ‘sauce plant mayor’ … it’s time for that to be over.”

The Atlantic Seafood Sauce Company opened the plant in 1990, but it was abandoned in the early 2000s, after years of legal and regulatory battles.

The closure left 110 tanks behind, each holding 3,000 gallons of now long-fermented fish sauce. They littered the floors with sludge and left a stench that has permeated through the community for years.

Ryan said collaboration with all levels of government has been decades in the making over who was responsible for the cleanup, but the Newfoundland and Labrador government is finally picking up the tab.

$2 million was budgeted in 2025 for the cleanup, which officially began on Tuesday.

The plant has just under 900,000 litres of fish sauce to manage, and it’s expected that work can be completed by October.

“I know we’re going to have hiccups going forward. But this crew that I have sat behind here [at] this table with me, I know what we’re after overcoming up to here. We’re able to overcome anything now,” Ryan said.

The cleanup is being undertaken by Sharp Management, which is cutting open the tanks to release the decades-old sauce.

It’s then mixed with peat moss to turn the sludge solid, and will be shipped out in over 200 truckloads to the nearby community of Sunnyside — about two hours away from the plant.

Lead engineer Glenn Sharp said the waste will be housed in a specialized 2,000 cubic-metre waste cell. The design and material it’s made of will make sure the odour isn’t smelled again, he said.

“It’s the only landfill in the province that’s designated to take organic waste. And although this is a very stinky, smelly item, it will be sealed at the end of the day,” Sharp said.

“[We’ll] seal it like a Ziploc bag. So there will be no odour after we get it all in.”

WATCH | Work to remove the fish sauce is finally underway:

Clean-up starts at smelly former N.L. fish sauce plant

The months-long process of cleaning out a rancid, smelly fish sauce plant in St. Mary’s, N.L., is finally underway. The plant has sat abandoned for more than 20 years, enveloping the town in its rotting stench.

Both Progressive Conservative and Liberal governments have tackled the issue of the fish sauce plant over the years.

Environment Minister Chris Tibbs told the crowd of residents that gathered in St. Mary’s on Tuesday that government is committed to seeing the work through, thanking Ryan for his years of dedication.

“We are only too happy to be involved as a provincial government and to see this through, and we’re going to see it through. And I’m looking forward to the day that it does end, and the people of St. Mary’s can take their town back away from this fish sauce,” Tibbs said.

Sherry Gambin-Walsh, the Liberal MHA for Placentia-St. Mary’s since 2015, called Tuesday an important day for her region.

Ryan thanked her for her years of phone calls and support, while Gambin-Walsh said she hopes that level of collaboration will continue with the new government.

“While today is a day to recognize progress, our work is not finished. The people of St. Mary’s deserve continued, clear communication from government as this project moves forward,” Gambin-Walsh said.

Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page.