Atlantic salmon
A new bill introduced by Washington House of Representatives Jim Walsh and Drew MacEwen aims to ban the controversial enterprise of farming Atlantic salmon in Washington waterways.
The lawmakers cited the collapse of a commercial net pen containing 305,000 of the non-native Atlantic salmon near Cypress Island in Puget Sound in August as the impetus behind their bill. That collapse was the fourth such incident since 1996, and the lawmakers say that the risks posed to native salmon stocks have proven too great to allow the commercial fish farming practice to continue.
Despite a concerted effort by tribal and commercial fishermen in conjunction with cleanup efforts by the company that operated the net pen, Cooke Aquaculture, escaped fish have been reported showing up in rivers from the bottom of Puget Sound to British Columbia. Some lobbyists for the industry have issued assurances that the fish are incapable of feeding in the wild, but healthy Atlantic salmon were reportedly caught on the Skagit River as recently as Nov. 13, and more than 100,000 of the escaped farm fish remain unaccounted for.
Still, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife recently approved a new permit that will allow Cooke Aquaculture to rear 1 million more Atlantic salmon at a different facility in Puget Sound. Those fish will be raised at the company’s hatchery in Rochester before they are ready for salt water.
“It simply doesn’t make sense to continue allowing Atlantic salmon farms to operate in Washington state,” said MacEwen, a Republican from Union, in a press release. “Escaped Atlantic salmon pose serious risks to native Pacific salmon with regard to competition for resources, and also threaten the survival of Pacific juveniles. It’s time we close these farms and put strong policies in place that enable our Pacific salmon populations to thrive.”
Many wild Pacific Northwest salmon stocks are struggling and some are listed for protections as threatened or endangered species.
Despite recovery efforts by the state over the last several decades, salmon populations remain vulnerable.
“We need to boost the stocks of our native salmon by building on our own resources rather than continuing to cultivate an invasive species,” said Walsh, a Republican from Aberdeen, in the release.
“As we’ve seen, farming Atlantic salmon in Washington waters is, at best, a nuisance and, at worst, a catastrophe.”
The press release noted that the legislation is supported by Squaxin Island Tribal Chairman Arnold Cooper. In cooperation with the WDFW, the Squaxin Island Tribe operates a net pen in South Puget Sound and releases 700,000 coho each year to boost tribal and sport fishing opportunities.
“We support banning Atlantic salmon aquaculture from our waters,” said Chairman Arnold Cooper in the release. “Continuing to allow Atlantic salmon aquaculture means future spills are inevitable. Future spills mean Atlantic salmon will compete with native fish for wild food, and they also mean we risk Atlantic salmon colonizing. Our tribe has always depended on natural resources, so there is no acceptable margin of error for us in protecting our way of life and our economy. While we know raising native salmon temporarily in net pens is an effective way to provide fisheries, non-native species like Atlantic salmon have no place in the Pacific Northwest.”
The 2018 legislative session is set to run for 60 consecutive days beginning Jan. 8, 2018.
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See previous reporting on this issue online at www.chronline.com.
