The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality fined Pacific Seafood $3.2 million on Thursday, April 23 for alleged pollution violations at three of its processing plants along the Oregon Coast. Locations include Charleston, Brookings and Warrenton’s Pacific Bio Products facility.
The highest fine was issued to the company’s Charleston location for $2.89 million, the second highest fine levied in the department’s history. The Brookings location was fined $114,000. Warrenton’s Pacific Bio Products facility was fined $104,800 for violating chlorine release limits.
“Chlorine is highly toxic to fish and other aquatic life,” Oregon D.E.Q. officials wrote in a letter addressing the Warrenton fine. “By exceeding permit limits, you created a risk of harm to these environmental receptors.”…