Washington state senate passes bill to phase out Atlantic salmon farming
Gian-Paolo Mendoza | CBC News | Posted: February 9, 2018 11:26 PM | Last Updated: February 9, 2018
B.C. fish farmers say they use better equipment than company responsible for mass Atlantic salmon escape
A bill that would phase out the farming of Atlantic salmon in Washington state waters passed in the state senate Thursday.
It comes months after nets at a Washington fish farm collapsed in the summer of 2017, allowing thousands of Atlantic salmon to escape into Puget Sound and B.C. waters.
- Report blames negligence, not eclipse, for Washington fish farm collapse
- Washington State cancels lease at site of salmon net-pen collapse
The bill, which is backed by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, will become law if it passes in the state house of representatives where it has been introduced for further consideration.
It would end Atlantic salmon farming in net pens on the Washington coast by 2025 as existing leases expire.
B.C. industry responds
The B.C. Salmon Farmers Association responded to the news Friday, stressing the importance of the salmon farming industry to B.C.
"It's an industry that so many people, especially on Vancouver Island, depend on," said Jeremy Dunn, director of the association.
"We would encourage Washington, as we encourage our governments here ... to make science-based decisions when making decisions around aquaculture."
Dunn also said that farms in B.C. have improved technology and monitoring, making escapes rare.
"Escapes in the early days of salmon farming in B.C. were quite common," he said.
"But over the last ten years, there have been significant investments in farming infrastructure, in mooring technology."
Earlier this week, Washington state officials fined Cooke Aquaculture Pacific, owner of the net pen that collapsed last summer, $332,000 for releasing the invasive salmon species into Puget Sound.
With files from the Associated Press