Bloody, red cod has Long Harbour fisherman suspicious of nearby Vale operation

A fisherman in Placentia Bay says he and others have been catching cod with unusually coloured guts, and he suspects the nearby Vale smelter is to blame.

Andy Murphy of Long Harbour told CBC News last spring he was finding herring with bloody red-coloured innards, something he insists is a result of Vale's smelter operations in the town.

Now, Murphy said he is finding cod with the same discolouration and wonders if chemicals are being pumped out near the shore by Vale and contaminating the fish.

"I noticed the livers are really dark red," he said. "Some of them are green and red, more are white and red, and I've never noticed that before. Plenty of people noticed it during the food fishery."

Murphy said he has contacted FFAW about the problem and the organization told him a certain amount of variation in the colouring of the fish is natural.

However, he doesn't buy the explanation and suspects that an effluent pipe that Vale recently installed in Placentia Bay may be causing the discoloured cod.

As someone who spends his days on the water in the area, Murphy said he isn't aware of any testing has been done on the water quality in the area. He's worried what will happen when the smelter is in full operation and pumping effluent into the water around the clock.

"Those are probably the most harsh chemicals known to mankind," he said.

"There's no way it's not going to cause damage."

Vale contacted DFO

Bob Carter, manager of corporate affairs for Vale in Newfoundland and Labrador, said he was apprised of the possible problems with cod on Tuesday.

"My understanding is that when Mr. Murphy indicated to our environmental lead at Long Harbour that he was seeing something in the cod, we immediately contacted Fisheries and Oceans and passed that information on to them," he said.

Carter said the pipeline, which is there to discharge treated effluent from the hydromet processing plant in Long Harbour, was tested in May for about a week, and has not been discharging anything into the bay since then.

When Vale first heard about the issue of local fishermen discovering so-called red herring in the spring, Carter said the company contacted DFO and determined a proper scientific sample should be taken.

Samples were sent to the Atlantic Veterinary College in Prince Edward Island for testing.

Carter said as soon as the results are back, they would be shared with the FFAW, local fishermen and DFO.

Carter said there's a full suite of regulatory testing required for operations like Long Harbour to ensure anything discharged into the marine environment is fully compliant with what the industry's metal mining effluent regulations.

"That testing is a normal part of our business and is an ongoing activity," he said.

According to Carter, the new pipeline is fully operational and the plant will begin ramping up operations soon.

In the meantime, Murphy doesn't buy the promises made by the international mining company that the water won't be contaminated.

"You're going to be able to drink it apparently," he laughed.

"I'd like to see the shareholders of Vale drink it."