Composting Fish Waste : An Alternative For Minnesota Resorts

Minnesota's recreational fishing industry provides an estimated $788 million dollars annually to the state. Sport anglers catch 30 to 35 million pounds of fish each year from the state's numerous lakes and rivers; cleaning those fish produces at least 15 million pounds of fish waste. Getting rid of the waste is a major problem. Composting fish waste reduces odors, insect problems, and the amount of waste. Composting effectively stabilizes organic materials that can be returned to the soil. Five demonstration projects were conducted to determine the feasibility of composting at Minnesota resorts and marinas. Each site used a different design and mixture of sphagnum peat moss and wood chips. The information presented here is the best combination of design and materials for small scale composting fish wastes.