This plant relies partially on species that are being fished unsustainably. Among the species processed by the plant was blue whiting, according to a certificate issued under the MarinTrust Improver Programme in 2024.¹ This species has been overfished in the Northeast Atlantic, according to Oceana UK in 2023.² This means that fish are caught faster than they can reproduce, shrinking the population and reducing their capacity to recover to healthy levels. This plant was evaluated for the MarinTrust Improver Programme in 2024 and became a member in 2024.³ The MarinTrust Improver Programme’s stated goal is to help plants make changes that will eventually allow them to be certified by the organization.⁴

In correspondence with The Outlaw Ocean Project, Pelagia’s chief administrative officer Siv Grure said that the company follows Norwegian regulations for sourcing its fish, but does not fish itself. “Raw materials are bought via the Norges Sildesalgslag (NSS) auction system,” Grure said, adding that this system involves approved vessels reporting their catch to NSS, a sales cooperative owned and operated by Norwegian fishers, and the catch being weighed with certified scales at delivery. “Payment and reporting are done based on the actual quantity received, fully complying with Norwegian rules and quotas. Quota is set on Government level in each country aiming for a level that will keep the blue whiting at a healthy population level for all parties involved sake.​​ Unfortunately countries are not able to agree on how to share the total quota, however that does not make the catch illegal.”⁵

In June 2023, a pipe in a washing tower at Pelagia Måløy Sildoljefabrikk was clogged, which caused air from the pipe to be released into the open air through a safety valve, sending “foul-smelling air emissions” into the area surrounding the plant, according to an article in Sunnmørsposten.⁶

In April 2022, an article in Fjordenes Tidende reported plastic waste was accumulating in the area around Pelagia Måløy Sildoljefabrikk, including on the shore and up the nearby mountainside. A community representative suspected that the litter came from “pallets of goods wrapped in plastic that are received at Pelagia.”⁷ The factory manager at Pelagia Måløy said that while there was no proof that the plastic came from the plant, Pelagia would “take responsibility” and clean up the garbage in the area.⁸ In May, Kinn Municipality representatives inspected the area around the plant after receiving complaints about the garbage. After finding garbage again on a subsequent inspection in August, issued a notice demanding that Pelagia Måløy clean up the area by September 20th. The municipality also asked that Pelagia submit a “plan for how to avoid such waste in the future,” according to an article in Fjordenes Tidende.⁹ When asked about the incident, Pelagia’s chief administrative officer Siv Grure told The Outlaw Ocean Project: “While the source was not confirmed, Pelagia Måløy took responsibility by cleaning the area and implementing measures to reduce plastic use and improve waste handling.”¹⁰

In July 2020, the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries fined the skipper of the Voyager, a British purse seiner, for underreporting his catch by over 100 metric tons when delivering the catch to Pelagia Måløy Sildoljefabrikk in 2018.¹¹ The skipper reported a catch of 720,000 kilograms, or about 793 tons, of North Sea herring on board, but during an inspection by the Directorate of Fisheries the following day, they found that the actual amount of catch on the Voyager was 826,720 kilograms, or about 911 tons.¹² The skipper was reported to the police and fined 28,000 kroner. Pelagia spokesperson Siv Grure said that fishing vessels are obligated to report their catch to the Norwegian sales cooperative Norges Sildesalgslag. “When delivery is done to for instance Pelagia Måløy Sildoljefabrikk, the catch is weighted and the accurate weight is reported to Norges Sildesalgslag through an electronically signed landing slip, signed both by the fisher and us, the buyer,” Grure said. “The Directorate of Fisheries and the sales organizations verify reported catches against the final settlement slips. Any deviations above 10 percent, intentional or negligent underreporting, is punishable and penalties may include fines as in [this] case.”¹³

On June 28, 2020, a fire broke out in the ventilation system at Pelagia Måløy Sildoljefabrikk. The cause was not determined, and no one was injured.¹⁴

In May 2020, a tank storing 900 tons of blue whiting at Pelagia Måløy Sildoljefabrikk collapsed, spilling 50–100 tons of rotting fish.¹⁵ One resident who lived next to the factory reported that there is “usually a smell” coming from the factory, which made it difficult to tell if the spill created any additional odor, but that he “smelled it yesterday, and it definitely smells like shit today too.”¹⁶

Responding to questions about the June 2023 pipe clogging incident, the June 2020 ventilation system fire and the May 2020 tank collapse, Pelagia spokesperson Siv Grure said “[they] are all very unfortunate isolated cases that took place at Pelagia Måløy Sildoljefabrikk. Each case was addressed promptly and in cooperation with local authorities and measures were implemented to prevent recurrence.”¹⁷