12. Summary

In many countries where fishmeal production is a major industry, the fishmeal was probably the first permanent installation in the area (Figure 62). Soon, workers move in to be near the source of work and income. The workers are followed by the people who supply services and support for the plant and workers. A town or city develops, more people move in and require more services, schools, medical, living quarters, food and shopping. As the area develops, the population becomes less dependent upon the fishmeal factory and soon there is conflict between the fishmeal factory and its neighbors. People begin to complain about the smell, the noise, the fact that they cannot use the ocean and beaches for recreation. Civilization is squeezing the fishmeal factories. Soon government regulations appear. The plants must meet certain effluent guidelines in order to stay in operation. The plants that are progressive and have the financial means to meet the regulations stay in business, those who cannot eventually are either shut down or close on their own. The regulations usually come in stages, installation of best conventional technology, followed by best available technology. Each time the limitations for effluent discharge are reduced. Primary treatment such as stickwater plants and screening pumpwater are no longer acceptable and secondary treatment must be used. In all cases, the critical point is the amount of solids going out of the plant. Most treatments can't handle the large volumes that are generated, so the industry is forced to reduce the volume to something manageable. Reducing pumpwater volumen, retrofitting evaporators so that condensate water can be separated from cooling water (cooling water can be discharged back to the sea), aerobic and anaerobic lagoons are installed to reduce the discharge load by 90% or more. These are the steps that will eventually come to the Peruvian fishmeal industry. The companies that are prepared to address the issues will survive, the ones that can't or won't will be closed or acquired by the larger ones.

Installing equipment that will recover valuable product and reduce effluent loads, makes good economical and environmental sense. Discharging these materials back to the sea will in the long term hurt the industry because it will demonstrate to their neighbors that they are not concerned with the environment and in today's climate of aggressive environmental groups it could be fatal. Environmental groups now go directly to the consumer, the consumer puts pressure on the supplier of the food products that are sold. The food supplier puts pressure on his supplier and eventually this leads back to the fishmeal plant or other ingredient supplier. This is happening right now.