Dumping buckets of fish guts into the ocean turns out not to be so good for the ecosystems involved. Basically, the more dead fish you put in the water, the fewer live fish can survive there. Off the coast of Alaska, one seafood processor has created "a massive wasteland of fish guts about 50 acres or more … a dead zone."

The processor, Seattle-based Trident, now has to pay $30 to 40 million to clean up its mess (plus, stop dumping so many damn fish innards into the sea). That’s the result of a settlement with the EPA, which apparently took a little time off from hijacking the government to protect water and wildlife.

Reader support helps sustain our work. Donate today to keep our climate news free. All donations DOUBLED!

What will Trident do with the waste instead? Make it into fish oils, which will likely as not show up in Whole Foods as health supplements. Everybody wins! Except the fish.

Grist thanks its sponsors. Become one.