CHLORINE SMELL: The area around the facility is closed off by police roadblocks and it smells like chlorine down by the water. The service vessel FDA Astri assists in the work. Photo: Naina Helen Jaama
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SIMANES (VG / ALTAPOSTEN): 15,000 liters of chlorine ended up right in the water at a salmon slaughterhouse.
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The consequence: 96,000 farmed salmon, which amounts to just over 430 tonnes of fish, died. The fire brigade says they can not do anything to collect the chlorine. Now the question is how this affects the environment in the fjord.
– This is a very unfortunate case. This will not happen, says Alta mayor Monica Nielsen (Labor) to VG.
– We know that this will have consequences for that area, but then we do not know the extent, what it has to say for the wildlife around the facility and how it will affect the sea area around, says the Alta mayor.
The chlorine emission came from Grieg Seafood’s slaughterhouse at Simanes in Alta:
Must examine the environmental impact
In normal operation, chlorine is used to disinfect the processing water at the slaughterhouse, points out Grieg Seafoods. But then it has leaked into the waiting cages that are in the water right outside.
– We do not yet have a complete overview of how the leak has affected the environment in the fjord. Grieg Seafood Finnmark has engaged Akvaplan Niva to conduct an independent study of the environmental impact, including through bottom samples around the slaughterhouse, writes amphitheater contact Roger Pedersen in the company in a press release.
– Chlorine is diluted quickly and broken down quickly in water, and from what we know today, the leak will have had a short-term, acute effect on organisms that were around the slaughterhouse when the incident occurred. The environmental survey, which is expected to take a few days, will provide a final answer, he points out.
Here you see the waiting cages, right outside the slaughterhouse:
1 of 4Photo: Naina Helen Jaama
