VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — The townspeople of St. Mary’s can breathe a sigh of relief. They are finally getting rid of the foul smell of rotten fish that has for years — when the wind blows their way — wafted over their tiny community in Canada ‘s easternmost province. And the culprit for the unpleasant odor that has vexed the picturesque town of about 300 people in Newfoundland and Labrador? About 110 tanks that were left behind — each holding 3,000 gallons of fermented fish sauce — when the Atlantic Seafood Sauce Company was abandoned more than 20 years ago.The place was left to ruin: windows got broken, the roof blew off, a January storm knocked out a wall. The sauce kept on fermenting as the bacteria did their job — and the townspeople could smell it.St. Mary’s volunteer mayor, Steve Ryan, says it’s hard to describe just how bad the smell was.
“The worst rotted fish you ever smelled in your lifetime, times 100,” he told The Associated Press by phone on Wednesday. As crews kicked off a major cleanup operation at the dilapidated plant this week, Ryan watched with mixed feelings. “It’s a big relief,” he said, describing the town’s lengthy “crusade” to get the provincial government to fund the cleanup. The federal government has not contributed to the cost, he added.
