Environmental monitoring of fish plant effluent in coastal Newfoundland

Offal from fish processing plants represents the largest organic waste stream in Newfoundland. It is important to understand the spatial dispersion properties of the waste to assess if there are possible options for waste management that may be advantageous to implement. Preliminary studies of a crab-processing plant's effluent were conducted in October 2004 whereby rhodamine WT, a common dye tracer was added to the effluent of a plant in Aquaforte, Newfoundland. Measurements were taken with a fluorometer, CTD (conductivity, temperature and depth) and dissolved oxygen sensor mounted on the back of an 18 ft inflatable boat equipped with an electric trolling motor to limit plume disturbance. Continuous spatial data corresponding to the sensor information was obtained using a GPS unit in the boat. Spatial and oceanographic data were integrated to obtain a visual and quantitative representation of the plume. A comparison of the actual plume was conducted with a plume dispersion model developed through the use of the plume modeling software, CORMIX and a geographic information system (GIS) to determine if there are any similarities.