Chemical Concerns and Coastal Livelihoods: The Fight for Practical Wastewater Rules in Oregon Seafood

Oregon seafood commodity commissions met with the Governor Kotek’s Office to discuss wastewater permitting challenges facing seafood processors and the need to identify a workable path forward that allows Oregon's fishing and seafood industry to remain economically viable.

The Oregon Trawl Commission, Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission, Oregon Salmon Commission, and Oregon Albacore Commission expressed concern that new wastewater permitting requirements established by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), including limits for metals and chlorine, are not achievable for seafood processing facilities. Seafood processors do not use metals in their production processes, and chlorine use is limited or avoided entirely. These contaminants are already present in the municipal water supplied to processing facilities. As a result, processors are being required to treat contaminants they do not control, and feasible treatment technology does not exist.

In addition, the commissions emphasized that the cost of complying with the new permit requirements is prohibitively expensive for an industry operating on narrow profit margins. They also raised concerns that the treatment technologies currently identified by DEQ rely on chemicals that would render otherwise valuable seafood byproducts unsuitable for its highest and best use. Chemical-based treatment systems generate substantial volumes of sludge that is often disposed of in landfills, contradicting both the seafood industry's commitment to sustainability and the environmental goals shared by the State of Oregon and DEQ.

The commissions asked the Governor’s Office to support and prioritize the development of practical, science-based, chemical-free solutions that protect Oregon's water quality while allowing seafood processors to continue operating and supporting Oregon's coastal economy.

Oregon's commercial fishing and seafood processing industry is a vital contributor to the state's economy and food production. In 2025, Oregon's commercial fishermen harvested 320 million pounds of healthy, sustainable seafood with more than 1,300 fishing vessels, generating nearly $225 million in fishermen’s revenue alone. Collectively, Oregon's fishermen and seafood processors generated $517 million in household income, an equivalent of over 10,000 jobs across the state, with the total economic output estimated to exceed $1 billion.

Oregon’s seafood commodity commissions came together in support of their industries to raise awareness and seek Governor Kotek’s support regarding the DEQ wastewater permitting requirements for Oregon seafood processors. Beyond the closure of two seafood processing facilities in Newport and Brookings, the full impact these requirements will have on Oregon's fisheries, seafood processors, and coastal communities remains uncertain.

Contacts

Oregon Trawl Commission, Yelena Nowak yelena@oregontrawl.org 

Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission, Crystal Adams crystal@oregondungeness.org 

Oregon Salmon and Oregon Albacore Commissions, Ericka Carlson ericka@oregonalbacore.org 

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