Dartmouth firm turns fish into fertilizer
I'm always receptive to ways to relieve our stressed planet. And if these methods promise to do wonders for the garden, too, I'm more than willing to give them a shot.
Organic Gem is a product with such double appeal. Made by Advanced Marine Technologies (AMT), it uses fish that would otherwise clog our waste stream and turns it into fertilizer with a kick.
"It's the world's best fertilizer," Chawner Hurd told members of the Garden Club of Buzzards Bay last week.
As company vice president for external relations, Mr. Hurd is getting the word out locally. Although the fertilizer is used worldwide, it hasn't been promoted for local use, especially for individual consumers. After hearing about its composition, its benefits to the environment and how it is helping New Bedford, it's likely to be getting broader use as well.
Fish as fertilizer is an age-old concept and one that Native Americans taught the English settlers. They knew that it produced healthier and more bountiful crops. Today, as then, the entire fish is used, but it's processed and packaged quite differently. Being liquid, it's easier to use and thanks to its manufacturing process, it's a lot less smelly than dead fish ought to be.
I opened a bottle just to be sure, having used other very heady brands of fish emulsions in the past. This wasn't bad at all. More pungent than sushi, but not as strong as some of the cheeses we keep in our fridge. Actually, the fact that it does have an aroma is helpful in deterring deer from some of their favorite plants, Mr. Hurd noted.
Headquartered in South Dartmouth and with manufacturing plants in New Bedford and Vancouver, British Columbia, AMT converts fresh fish wastes from New Bedford's fish processing industry into the mocha-colored fertilizer. Because it has been aimed mostly at bigger corporate users, (Budweiser's hops and Ocean Spray's cranberries and several West Coast vineyards are fertilized with it here in the U.S. and it's sold in Europe, Israel and China), it's not yet well-known by the home gardener.
"We're reaching out to homeowners now," Mr. Hurd told the ladies as he handed out sample bottles. A goal is to gradually expand their product base, taking more fish waste out of the system, until eventually markets are created for all of New Bedford's fish waste. (The company also converts fish cartilage into a powder that is supplied to the medical industry for use in treatment of arthritis and cancer.)
AMT was named the state's Recycling Manufacturer of the Year in October for its innovative use of recyclable material in their manufacturing process. Last spring, the company received the Sustainability Award from the Chamber of Commerce for turning waste into marketable products.
The raw material source in Organic Gem is cape shark, which has a skeleton that is almost entirely cartilage (which helps build sugars that in turn helps protect plants from fungus and disease). That, combined with the way it is processed, translates into a fertilizer that is highly bioactive. In other words, "it goes to work on the soil and breaks down nutrients that are locked up in it. This gives our material a unique composting effect and bioactivity," according to Mr. Hurd.
He cited university studies that bear this out and quoted facts about Organic Gem, such as: it contains nitrogen, phosphoric and potassium as well as vitamins and amino acids that promote growth; it is totally organic so it won't burn plants or roots or pollute; is a compost enhancer that builds micro-organisms and makes the blooms of flowering plants more plentiful and longer lasting.
He also shared documentation, including stunning before- and-after photos, taken by a local homeowner who used it on a new lawn, newly installed Thuja and Leyland Cypresses, as well as vegetable garden, foundation plantings and perennials and shrubs. The results were very successful, their letter attests, noting, "thicker lawn with minimal weeds and winter thatch; irrigation not needed due to vigorous root growth; warmer soil temperature in fertilized areas; trees doubled in size in two growing seasons and compost pile produced usable material in two seasons after adding Organic Gem."
We gardeners need to be responsible for what we pour into the soil. Considering that petrochemical fertilizers are the third largest contaminator of the environment, and Organic Gem is totally organic and natural, the choice appears to be a no-brainer.
Now, all you lucky houseplants, pucker up! It's feeding time!
Laura McLean lives and gardens in Mattapoisett with her husband and three children. She comes from a long line of gardeners. Readers may e-mail her at lmclean@s-t.com or write her c/o Home editor, 25 Elm St., New Bedford, MA 02740.
This story appeared on Page C1 of The Standard-Times on December 7, 2002.
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