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On August 5, 2022, local environmental authorities ordered 15 fishmeal companies in the Ullal and Mangalore areas of India to shut down. Among those companies was the Ullal Fish Meal and Oil Company. The reason for the order, according to the Karnataka State Pollution Board, was that these plants were “constantly polluting air and water” in violation of the Air and Water Acts, according to reporting by The Hindu. Specifically, the board chairman stated that the companies continuously dumped industrial effluent into the sea and emitted foul smells from their facilities.²

Nonetheless, the Ullal Fish Meal and Oil Company did not cease operations because it successfully petitioned the courts to stay the direction of the pollution officials. The company argued that due process was not followed and the company was not granted time to respond to the charges.³

It wasn’t the first time Ullal Fish Meal and Oil Company had been penalized for environmental violations. In 2016, 13 fishmeal plants in the city of Ullal, including Ullal Fish Meal and Oil Company, were forced to pay fines for their failure to take adequate pollution control measures.⁴ Local residents complained about the problem, too. Reviews left on Google Maps relating to Ullal Fish Meal and Oil Company reference the air pollution caused by the company. The plant has “very poor smell in the company,” wrote a user named Syed Abuthahir in a 2022 post on Google.⁵

Complaints about the fishmeal industry were not new in the city of Ullal. In 2019, researchers for an environmental nonprofit organization found that many plants in Ullal did not have waste treatment plants. These companies were instead dumping their wastewater into local waterways and backwaters adjoining mangroves, according to the researchers. “The wastewater from the plants is left in the river and after that there is an oily layer on the sand and in the lakes and waterbodies nearby. It also smells bad,” said one local activist quoted in the 2019 report by the Changing Markets Foundation, the nonprofit organization.⁶ Problems with air and water pollution emanating from Ullal’s fishmeal plants date back to at least 2016, when residents in the area expressed concerns over the unpleasant odor coming from the factories and the possible health hazards linked to the pollution.⁷

In September 2024, the Shree Amba Maheshwari Seva Trust, an Indian NGO that advocates for improved infrastructure, urged the Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada district to take action against the “foul smell emanating from fishmeal factories at Ullal.”⁸ Both Ullal and Mangalore, important hubs for fishmeal processing, are located within Dakshina Kannada district. Local residents reported that strong fumes made it “difficult to breath[e].” They also said that, despite many complaints from residents, these health hazards were uniquely impacting local children and older people, according to reporting by The Hindu.⁹

Mukka Proteins, the owner of Ullal Fish Meal and Oil Company, said in correspondence with The Outlaw Ocean Project that it acknowledged the 2019 report, but clarified that it took over the company on October 9, 2020, and, since the acquisition, has “taken significant measures to ensure that operations are aligned with the highest environmental and regulatory standards” including continually upgrading in-house effluent treatment to ensure wastewater is treated responsibly before discharge and in full statutory compliance.¹⁰

Mukka Proteins also said that it deeply values the concerns expressed by both the Trust and local residents and is addressing them by continuing “to invest in advanced, eco-friendly processes” to improve compliance and enhance the quality of life for nearby residents. “Our facilities are equipped with best-in-class odour control systems and pollution-mitigation technologies, ensuring that our operations meet strict environmental standards while minimizing any impact on surrounding neighborhoods,” Mukka Proteins said. “To strengthen mutual trust and transparency, we have established an open grievance redressal mechanism, enabling residents to raise concerns directly with us. All grievances are taken seriously, addressed promptly, and integrated into our continuous improvement process.”¹¹