Something smells fishy on Route 430

By Aaron Beswick

FOR THE SOU’WESTER

FLOWERS COVE, N.L. – Greg Rose is tired of driving his motorcycle through fish juice.

The stinky water pours from tractor-trailers as they haul shrimp, crab, capelin and mackerel betweens wharves and processing plants. In 2002 the provincial government created regulations demanding that trucks transporting seafood be equipped with drip tanks or other containers capable of preventing spillage of seafood water on roads.

Properly equipped transport-trucks were made a condition of licence for processors.

“Regulations will be strictly enforced. Trucks which are not properly equipped will not be permitted to spill any liquids on the highways,” stated a 2002 government press release.

Yet, Rose said he’s heard complaints from many other motorists about stinky seafood spillage.

“It seemed that after they made the regulations things got better for a while – but it’s been getting worse for the last two or three years.”

Rose suspects enforcement of the regulations has become lax, and while trucks are still equipped with spillage tanks, their drains are often left open.

“No one wants to see the shrimp industry slowed down, but it wouldn’t take much effort to keep this stuff off the roads,” said Rose. “It can’t be good for tourism either, people driving up the coast in campers that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars don’t want this stuff splashing over their vehicles.”

He sent a letter stating his concerns to The Straits and White Bay North MHA Trevor Taylor, St. Barbe MHA Wallace Young and Transportation Minister Dianne Whalen.

Meanwhile, the Department of Government Services, which is responsible for the spillage regulations, contends the legislation continues to be enforced by the portable weigh scales which make trips to the Northern Peninsula.

“We haven’t had any complaints from bikers or the RCMP on the Northern Peninsula,” said Vanessa Colman-Sadd, a spokesperson for the department. “We’ve found there is a high rate of compliance with the regulations province-wide.”