St. Mary’s Fish Sauce Plant Cleanup Brings Film Crews and Tourism Campaign
Work to remove decades-old fermented fish sauce from an abandoned plant in St. Mary’s is nearly finished, and film crews are on the ground to capture a refreshed community image, VOCM reported. The long-standing industrial site had drawn intense media attention earlier this year due to the persistent stench it left lingering over the town.
St. Mary’s Mayor Steve Ryan stated that marketing firm Publicis Toronto reached out to the municipality as cleanup efforts progressed, offering to design a free tourism campaign for the town. Mayor Ryan called the initiative “one of the brightest things to come out of the sauce plant,” according to VOCM. The upcoming promotional push aims to position St. Mary’s as a destination where visitors can “smell the salt water instead of the smelly sauce plant.”
Film crews help reshape town perception
With the physical removal of the fermented product nearing completion, the community is shedding its decades-old reputation for foul odors. Film crews arrived on-site to document the transformation and help reshape public perception of the area. Publicis Toronto stepped in without charging the town for its services, offering a promotional strategy to draw travelers back to the coastal region. Mayor Ryan highlighted the contrast between the historic industrial nuisance and the incoming coastal tourism push, emphasizing the shift toward the natural marine environment.
Questions about fish sauce cleanup and tourism marketing
When did the fish sauce plant become an issue for St. Mary’s?
The facility sat abandoned for decades, but it drew significant media attention earlier in the year when concrete plans to finally clean up the old fermented fish sauce and eliminate the persistent odor were announced.
Who is producing the new tourism campaign for St. Mary’s?
Publicis Toronto, a marketing firm, reached out to the town and offered to put together the tourism campaign at no cost to the municipality.
How does the mayor view the marketing offer?
St. Mary’s Mayor Steve Ryan described the pro bono campaign offer as “one of the brightest things to come out of the sauce plant,” noting it will encourage visitors to experience the local salt water air.
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