Processors... 



( Continued from page 1 ) 



gallon, you'll really want to give yourself a kick. 



But building a plant such as this hasn't been 

 without obstacles. Elmer Willis of Williston work- 

 ed out a large portion of scallop processing's prob- 

 lems in the late 60s with his invention of the 

 mechanical shucker. But maintaining steady sup- 

 plies of raw scallops, mechanizing and marketing 

 are ongoing hassles. Still others loom ahead for 

 Lambert and other seafood processors. 



Complying with what seems an ever-increasing 

 list of government regulations has become a major 

 stumper. Heavy on some processors' minds are 

 regulations which place strict limits on how much 

 waste processors dump in the nation's waters. 

 These regulations, growing out of the Water Pollu- 

 tion Control Act Amendments of 1972, are aimed 

 at eliminating discharge of harmful wastes and 

 pollutants into the nation's waters by 1985. They 

 will affect all seafood processors who use rivers, 

 sounds, creeks or the ocean as dumping grounds 

 for their wastes. 



Under regulations established by the 1972 

 Amendments, seafood processors (and all other 

 industries or individuals) who discharge pollutants 

 into the nation's navigable waters must get a per- 

 mit. The permit tells its holder how much waste he 

 or she can put into waters per day or week and how 

 concentrated in harmful pollutants it may be. It 

 may also spell out a schedule of monitoring, or 

 measuring, discharged wastes which the permit- 

 holder must carry out. In North Carolina, the 

 Department of Natural and Economic Resources' 

 Division of Environmental Management issues 

 permits. 



Shells are only part of the waste at a scallop plant. 

 Humans eat only about half of a scallop's flesh. The 

 baffler is how to get rid of the other half without pol- 

 luting water supplies. 



Realizing that old methods can't be changed 

 overnight, authors of the regulations allowed time 

 for adjustment. Guidelines for treating effluents, 

 or wastes, say that processors must be using the 

 best practical treatment technology by July, 1977 

 and the best available technology by July, 1983. 



More specific guidelines on treatment of effluents 

 are undergoing continual revision. According to 

 Frank B. Thomas, UNC Sea Grant seafood ad- 

 visory services specialist, processors can have in- 

 put into revised guidelines. 



Sea Grant seafood advisory agents, agricultural 

 extension agents, seafood-related trade associa- 

 tions and state agencies working closely with the 

 seafood industry have and will continue to partici- 

 pate in hearings on the guidelines, Thomas said. 

 Processors can have input into the final regula- 

 tions by passing their thoughts and needs on to 

 these people and organizations. 



Regulations controlling waste disposal have 

 caused fears that the expense of new equipment 



Guidelines for treating effluents, or wastes, require 

 that seafood processors be using the best practical 

 means of treatment by July, 1977 and the best 

 available treatment technology by July, 1983. 



and revamping old ways could put a large number 

 of North Carolina's 610 processing establishments 

 out of business. Since many are small, family- 

 owned ventures that operate only part of the year, 

 the cost of meeting the requirements could financi- 

 ally wipe them out, some fear. 



Joey Hill, environmental engineer in NER's 

 Wilmington office, says his agency, the one charged 

 with seeing that seafood processors live up to the 

 law's requirements, isn't trying to put processors 

 out of business. "We're trying to help by showing 

 them what needs to be done under the law," he said. 

 "We're glad to meet with them to discuss how to 

 comply." 



Some processors apparently don't intend to let 

 government regulations interfere with business. A 

 few are already taking the bull by the horns. 



"I think they (the new regulations) are good," 

 Salter said, adding that he was pleased with the 

 assistance his plant had gotten from Sea Grant 

 advisory agents Clark Callaway and Ted Miller. 

 With their advisory help, Southern Seafood has 

 tried disposing of wastes in a landfill near the 

 plant. While all the kinks aren't yet worked out, 

 Salter pointed to one benefit of on-land disposal. 

 "Corn we planted (on a landfill area) burst out of 

 its husks," he said. "And we had a 17 foot high 

 sunflower." 



Who knows, with more experiments, industry 

 and researchers may hit on ways to put seafood 

 wastes to good use. 



