EASTON, MD - A new ordinance aims to address strong odors emanating from seafood processing facilities in Easton, following complaints from residents.
The regulation, prompted by concerns from neighbors on Aurora Street, seeks to eliminate what some describe as an overwhelming smell.
“It stinks, and I love crabs, but I don’t want to have them with my coffee at, you know, 9 in the morning. I mean, it’s so heavy you can almost taste it,” said Carla Howell, who lives on Aurora Street.
Howell attributes the smell to Chesapeake Brand Seafood, a seafood processing facility across the street. In response to complaints, Easton town leaders introduced and passed new legislation designed to mitigate the issue.
“So, it’s a filtration system—essentially, it’s an odor-eliminating fan,” said Easton Council President Frank Gunsallus.
The system is estimated to cost Chesapeake Brand Seafood approximately $20,000 to install.
Gunsallus added that if facilities store byproducts outdoors, they must use refrigerated trucks to contain potential odors. However, the new ordinance specifically applies to seafood processing facilities in Easton’s business-commercial district. Chesapeake Brand Seafood is currently the only facility in that zone.
Mitch Hughes, the owner of Chesapeake Brand Seafood, expressed frustration about the ordinance, saying he believes his company has complied with town regulations and feels singled out.
“To their credit, Chesapeake Brand Seafood was working with our code enforcement office. They complied with all of the requirements we put forth and what we were asking of them, but it still didn’t seem to fix all of the issues because one of the issues is from the processing and cooking of that product,” Gunsallus said.
The ordinance takes effect at the end of the month, and Chesapeake Brand Seafood has until July 1 of next year to install the odor-eliminating fans.