The Kekaha shrimp farm owned by Sunrise Capital – Credit: Dennis Fujimoto
“The ocean is not a dump …”
Proposing to discharge up to 30 million gallons of wastewater effluent and treated shrimp remains into the ocean on a daily basis, Sunrise Capital has filed for a Draft National Pollutant Discharge Elimination permit with the state Department of Health, according to an e-mail from the DOH’s communications office Thursday.
Originally owned and operated by Ceatech USA, the Kekaha shrimp farm was acquired by Sunrise Capital in June 2005 and is currently operating at minimal capacity, said an e-mail from officials at the DOH’s Clean Water Branch.
While this has “resulted in no discharge from the property” since 2004 after the “farm became infected with a shrimp virus,” Sunrise Capital seeks to increase its operating capacity which will likely generate a maximum of 23 million gallons of biological waste each day, according to CWB officials.
Messages left for Sunrise Capital Wednesday and Thursday were not returned.
“The ocean is not a dump,” said environmental activist Dr. Gordon LaBedz of Surfrider Kaua‘i.
Non-coastal shrimp farms can and do exist utilizing alternative methods of waste treatment and disposal, he said Thursday.
Source: Coco Zickos, The Garden Island
1 response so far ↓
1 Secret Asian Man // Apr 9, 2010 at 6:27 am
I wonder if the waste can be filtered and packaged as prime fertilizer to be sold to the mainland?
I find that throwing old shrimp shells into the garden makes really big tasty tomatoes!
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