Over the last few years, the public has grown increasingly concerned with effluent from fish processing plants, and its effect on coastal environments. In February 2003, a workshop was held in Shippagan, New Brunswick in order to discuss the increasingly pressing issues associated with effluents from fish processing plants on New Brunswick’s coastal environment.

The first tangible result of that workshop is the CZRI’s publication of a bilingual guide to Best Management Practices (BMP) for Raw Product, Water and Effluents Generated by Marine Products Processing Plants. This guide contains the basic information required for a business, regardless of its size, to develop a program for reducing organic pollution generated by its marine products processing activities.

Publication of this practical tool has, among other things, contributed to a broader project on Best Practices for Managing Effluents from Marine Products Processing Plants in Atlantic Canada. This project deals primarily with assessing the application of the approach and principles set out in the BMP guide.