Gov. Jay Inslee and Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz responded on Oct 3 to Cooke Aquaculture’s plan to transfer 1 million Atlantic salmon to an existing net pen in the Puget Sound.
“We are very concerned about Cooke Aquaculture’s plan to transfer up to 1 million Atlantic salmon smolts to a net pen in Clam Bay across from Bainbridge Island. This is disappointing and frustrating, coming on the heels of the August collapse of Cooke’s net pen near Cypress Island that held 305,000 fish,” Inslee said.
No permits for new pens to be issued
“While both Commissioner Franz and I have directed our respective state agencies not to issue permits or leases for any new net pens until we can review the results of the Cypress Island investigation, the Department of Fish and Wildlife does not have the means, based on current state law and regulatory rules, to prohibit the transfer into an existing pen. My office has asked Cooke to do the right thing – for our tribes, for our citizens, for our environment and for the industry’s long-term prospects – and withdraw their request.”
In a news release Oct 3 Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) said they have authorized Cooke Aquaculture the move.
Eric Kinne, manager of WDFW’s hatchery division, said the transport permit is not related to the company’s Cypress Island net-pen facility near the San Juan Islands, where one of Cooke’s pens collapsed on Aug. 19 and released up to 300,000 Atlantic salmon into Puget Sound and nearby waters. The escape was describes as “catastrophic” by native fishers in the area and some of the salmon have been recorded in Canadian rivers as far north as 250 miles.
Following the net pen collapse, Gov. Jay Inslee directed that no permits be issued for new aquaculture net pens while the incident was being investigated. However, current laws and administrative rules do not give state regulators the authority to deny Cooke’s permit to move healthy fish into an existing net pen. The Governor’s Office asked Cooke to withdraw its permit application and expressed disappointment that the company chose to proceed while thousands of escaped Atlantic salmon remain unrecovered.
Cooke, which operates net pens at eight locations in Puget Sound, applied in late August for permission to move about 1 million 2-year-old smolts from the hatchery to its Rich Passage facility in south Puget Sound. The move is expected to take place through the fall.
No grounds for permit denial
WDFW says they issued the fish transport permit late Monday, Oct. 2, after working to ensure the company’s facilities at Rich Passage met structural, water quality, and fish health requirements. Staff from WDFW and the departments of Natural Resources and Ecology visited the net-pen site last week. Ecology staff inspected the facility and reported that they did not find violations of the current water quality permit. Divers hired by DNR examined the net pens and support structures below the surface at Clam Bay along Rich Passage. The inspection did not yield grounds to deny the permit.
The Cypress Island incident remains under investigation, and efforts continue to recover the fish that escaped. About half of the 305,000 fish from the collapsed pen are thought to have escaped.
Cannot stop transfers
“Though we cannot stop the transfer of these fish, the three agencies had the pens inspected by a licensed structural engineer to identify any deficiencies in the net pen structures at the Rich Passage facility. The Department of Ecology inspected the Clam Bay facility and did not find violations of the current water quality permit, but Ecology also requested that Cooke not move forward with its plans. We’ve had DNR staff on hand for that inspection, and we will continue to maintain a presence at the facilities,” said Commissioner Franz.
”DNR will also be conducting inspections by a licensed structural engineer at all of Cooke’s operations in Washington while the investigation into the Cypress Island incident is ongoing,” aid the news release, adding “the broad public outcry surrounding this net pen failure is understandable. So is the lack of confidence in how Cooke responded to the emergency, the recovery of fish and the management of future operations the company may pursue here in our waters.”
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