According to The Associated Press and The New York Times, for over 20 years, whenever the wind direction changed, a foul fish smell would drift to St. Mary Town in Canada. Due to the government's persistent refusal to fund treatment measures, this town has been known as "the most smelly city in the world" for many years.
St. Mary Town is located in Newfoundland and Labrador, with approximately 300 residents. The stench that plagues the town originates from a factory owned by Atlantic Seafood Sauces. The factory was built between 1989 and 1990 and ceased operations in the 2000s. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency closed the factory due to poor hygiene conditions and non-compliance with safety standards.
The factory closed down, leaving behind the industrial area with about 110 storage tanks. Each tank contained 3,000 gallons of fermented fish sauce. As the factory became increasingly dilapidated, its windows shattered and the roof was blown over by strong winds. The sauce in the tanks continued to ferment, and bacteria worked continuously, causing a stench that lingered throughout the town.
St. Mary Town's volunteer mayor, Steve Ryan, said that the smell was indescribable—it was like a mixture of rotten fish and shrimp mixed with fermented sewage, so strong that it was almost suffocating. "It's the most unpleasant stench of rotten fish you've ever smelled in your life, and it's only one hundred times stronger."
This week, the construction team officially started the large-scale cleanup of this abandoned factory. Ryan was on site, feeling a mix of emotions.
"I finally let out a big sigh of relief." He recounted the town's long-standing efforts to secure government funding for cleanup work from the provincial authorities. He further stated that the federal government bore no responsibility for the cleanup expenses.
Ryan worked at this factory briefly after graduating from high school in 1990. He said, "This made me quite angry. We tried to seek help everywhere, but we met with nothing but resistance... It seems like everyone has forgotten about us."
Ryan revealed that until last year, the provincial government finally agreed to allocate $1.7 million Canadian dollars (approximately 8.174 million RMB) for cleaning up the factory. The town still had to bear an additional loan of $198,000 Canadian dollars (approximately 1.902 million RMB). He hopes that after the project is completed, the unpleasant memories will eventually fade away.
According to him, in the coming months, staff will empty the remaining liquid from the storage tanks and mix it with peat moss to absorb the waste liquid. Then, trucks equipped with large hoses will transport the mixture to a landfill site that requires three weeks of work to excavate and lay special high-density polyethylene membranes for waterproofing. After all the operations are completed, the surface of the landfill site will be covered with topsoil.
This cleanup project is managed by Sharp Management Company. The company’s leader, Glenn Sharp, described it as a “special project.” “These waste materials are very unique and do not follow any standard waste classification guidelines.”
Our village is quite small and has been unable to address the difficulties for an extended period of time. For many years, no one has stepped forward to support us. We have repeatedly gone out seeking their help, as we are clear in our understanding that our demands are reasonable. Rui'an said this.
