Since the Halifax waste treatment plant failed in January,
more than 100 million litres of raw sewage has been discharged into Halifax Harbour daily.
Worse still, last month the screens at the sewage outfalls were
removed, so the sewage includes lots of “floatables,” the toilet paper
and tampon applicators that rise to the surface.
Is this a problem?
Environment Canada thinks so. “We received a number of complaints
from the public, and after reviewing the information provided to us and
gathering some further information, we felt the case warranted an
investigation,” says York Friesen, Environment Canada’s manager of
inspections for the Atlantic region. That ongoing investigation is
focused on the pollution prevention provisions of the Fisheries Act,
which deal with water quality where fish exist.
But Environment Canada doesn’t look at the actual health of the fish
in those waters. Lobster season for this part of the coast ended on May
31, but before then, commercial lobster trappers were working up and
down the harbour and in the Northwest Arm. Moreover, harbour water is
used in the lobster pounds for both Clearwater and Fisherman’s Market,
the two largest lobster processors in the province.
Regulation of where and when people fish lobster is handled by the
federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, but those regulations
reflect market and overall population considerations, and not the
health of particular lobsters. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency
regulates food production, but doesn’t care where lobsters are
caught.
“Lobsters aren’t like clams and mussels, which are filter
feeders—for those we consume the whole animal, including the stomach,
and they can accumulate bacterial contaminants, and that’s why we have
strict regulations where one can harvest,” explains Heather Leslie,
regional coordinator with CFIA. “But the parts of the lobster we eat
don’t accumulate bacterial contaminants—there is no risk of bacterial
illness for the person consuming them.”
Leslie says Health Canada suggests people limit the consumption of
the lobster tomalley (the liver/pancreas), but that concern is related
to marine biotoxins, and not to bacteria.
CFIA regulates for health and safety at the processing plants, but
so far as live lobsters go, the agency only makes sure that the
lobsters meet the requirements of the countries they are exported
to.
“There aren’t actually any requirements for the holding water
quality—for the holding water in the pounds,” explains Leslie.
Water quality in the pounds isn’t an issue, says Catherine Boyd,
Clearwater’s manager of corporate affairs. “We have a filtration system
that filters all water coming in, and we have biologists on staff to
test the water quality on a regular basis.”
While regulatory agencies and exporters say the lobsters are safe,
isn’t there a threat, rightly or wrongly, that the reputation of the
entire industry can be sullied by a tiny amount of lobster caught in
the harbour? Evidently not—Clearwater has no intention of “telling
people where they can fish,” says Boyd, and the Nova Scotia Department
of Fisheries has no concern about the lobster market related to
Halifax’s sewage problem, says spokesperson Celeste Sulliman.
Likewise, even though one of the sewage outfalls is adjacent to the
cruise ship docks, the provincial Department of Tourism has initiated
no campaign related to the sewage issue, and isn’t worried about
it.
“We have had a few questions from visitors about the problem,” says
spokesperson Dave Denny. “But no one saying that they’re not returning,
or that sort of thing.”
On April 27, Environment Canada ordered the city to give the agency
a report on the sewage situation within 30 days, and to follow that
with progress reports every 60 days, says Friesen. The first of those
reports has been received but, citing confidentiality laws, Friesen
would not release it.
As well, a city report on possible fixes hasn’t been made public.
That secrecy ill serves the public, says Darce Fardy, founder of the
Nova Scotia Right to Know Coalition. “The cleanup of our harbour
provides council with an excellent opportunity to adopt a policy of
full disclosure on a matter of such enormous public interest,” he says.
This article appears in Jun 11-17, 2009.
Wow, people should be told… I’m never buying a lobster from a supermarket again. If government is that screwed up, who know what other areas pulp/power mill runoffs they are ignoring.
I’ll only buy lobster fresh off the dock, from a boat who’s fishing area is known.