August 4, 2014 — The disposal or reuse of fish processing waste has long been a challenge for Michigan’s fish processing industry. Approximately 5 million pounds of waste from commercially processed lake whitefish, lake trout, and salmon are generated, annually.
Several years ago and in an effort to help the Michigan fish processing industry find better solutions to handle fish processing waste materials, Michigan State University Extension, Michigan Sea Grant and Northern Initiatives conducted a project that determined the viability of composting fish waste. The objectives of the project were to develop a compost marketing strategy, produce compost that met identified market specifications, and document the levels of mercury and halogenated hydrocarbons along the composting process to allay concerns in using composted fish waste. Recreational fishers must also decide on how to dispose of their fish waste and fish waste composting should be an alternative to explore instead of disposing it into a landfill.