The State Board of Natural Resources for the U.S. state of Washington has voted to finalize a ban on finfish farming in state waters, codifying a ban that was first implemented unilaterally in 2022.
Momentum for a state ban on net pen aquaculture grew after the 2017 collapse of a Cypress Island fish farm operated by aquaculture company Cooke, which released hundreds of thousands of Atlantic salmon into state waters. Cooke was fined for the collapse, and ultimately, the state legislature passed a law ending Atlantic salmon farming in the state.
Cooke, in partnership with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, responded by switching its farming operations from salmon to Pacific steelhead trout. Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, however, declined to renew their leases, and in 2022, she issued an executive order banning net pen aquaculture in the state.
Both Cooke and the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe filed separate lawsuits challenging Franz’s order. While Cooke ultimately withdrew its appeal, a court ruled in favor of the S’Klallam Tribe, finding that Franz’s 2022 executive order “has no legal effect.” Instead, the judge declared that ...
