Newfoundland fishermen are worried about plans to construct a nickel smelting plant at Long Harbour on Placentia Bay –and with good reason according to Earle McCurdy, president of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers.
The proposal by Voisey’s Bay Nickel Company Limited calls for a six-kilometer pipeline to discharge the “treated” effluent to an area near the mouth of Long Harbour.
McCurdy says that the pipeline will release the effluent onto prime fishing grounds for many species. The company maintains that the natural currents of the bay will result in the dispersion of the effluent.
McCurdy’s not buying it. He says that he doubts that the facility itself can be blocked, but he intends to do everything he can to keep the effluent out of Placentia Bay.
The smelter proposal is before the Department of Environment and Conservation for review.
In a Dec. 17 letter to the director of the DEC Environmental Assessment Division, McCurdy wrote: “Fish harvesters throughout the bay are worried about the obvious potential for serious environmental effects from this nickel processing plant. The general public and those involved in the fishery around the proposed Long Harbour site have bitter memories of the impact of pollution on the environment.”
McCurdy continued, “In 1969, the infamous “red herring” incident illustrated the importance of protecting the environment. Unregulated air emissions and effluent from an ERCO phosphorus plant in Long Harbour recklessly polluted the area. Fishers in Placentia Bay, especially in Long Harbour and Mt. Arlington Heights, are concerned about the likelihood of harmful impacts on the marine environment, in which they conduct their fishery. From the VBNC proposal in particular, harvesters fear the immense levels of effluents that are anticipated will be run off into the bay. These effluents will expose the ecosystem, including commercially fished species, to harmful pollutants.”
Noting Voisey’s Bay plan to build the effluent pipeline, McCurdy wrote: “The proponents have chosen this site for its location and depth, with hopes that the natural currents will aid in dispersing the effluent. However, this area also happens to be prime fishing grounds, exposing many species and critical habitat to foreign substances.”
McCurdy then proposed: “There must be an alternative means of disposing this effluent, rather than pumping enormous amounts into the marine environment. Over time, the cumulative effects of these levels of run-off into the ocean can only do harm to marine life. The `out of sight, out of mind’ approach to disposal of this effluent is absolutely unacceptable, threatening many livelihoods in the fishery.”
According to McCurdy, the federal government in 1992 identified Placentia Bay as Canada’s most likely place for a major oil spill because of the frequency of oil tankers. This nickel processing plant will supplement the high level of traffic by 40-50 vessels visiting the facility each year, adding more traffic to an already busy bay. There are two other major projects proposed for the bay, which could triple the traffic levels.
McCurdy adds that in addition to the oil tankers, tugboats, pilot vessels and ferries, there are almost 600 fishing enterprises operating in the bay. These harvesters struggle to fish their traditional grounds and make a living, while dodging tankers and living in fear of an oil spill, which could have calamitous consequences.
As of January 15, McCurdy was still waiting for a response from the DEC in Ottawa.