Penisula Daily News News Sources
SEATTLE — A judge has rejected a request by an Atlantic salmon farming company that wants to restock a net-pen farm while it challenges Washington state’s termination of its license to operate.
The Seattle Times reports that a Thurston County Superior Court Judge on Friday denied Cooke Aquaculture’s request for a preliminary injunction while its lawsuit against the Department of Natural Resources plays out.
One of the company’s pens collapsed Aug. 19 at its Cypress Island farm, releasing more than 300,000 Atlantic salmon.
The company removed the collapsed pen but has two remaining pens at the San Juan Islands facility. The company wants to resume business by restocking with nearly 800,000 juvenile Atlantic salmon.
The company declined to comment about the litigation.
“Today’s decision is a win for the people and waters of Washington,” said Hilary Franz, commissioner of public lands in a prepared statement.
“When I terminated Cooke’s lease, I did so based on clear evidence that the company failed to properly clean and maintain its facility, in violation of its lease.”
A report compiled by the state’s departments of fish and wildlife, ecology and natural resources said that Cooke Aquaculture Pacific failed to adequately clean nets holding farmed salmon, leading to the net pen failure.
“Once again, I encourage Cooke to drop this baseless lawsuit and work with us to safely and quickly wind-up its operations and vacate the site,” Franz said.
Before the Aug. 19 collapse, Cooke was applying to build a new marine salmon farm in the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Clallam County, moving its fish farm from the Port Angeles Harbor to the area east of town.
Port Angeles lease
In December, Franz terminated the state’s lease with Cooke in Port Angeles, saying the company violated the terms of the lease. Cooke has challenged that decision in Clallam County Superior Court.
In March, Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation that will phase out marine farming of Atlantic salmon and other nonnative fish, with no new leases allowed after the current ones expire by 2025.
Cooke, based in New Brunswick, Canada, has operations in six countries and about 6,000 employees.
It bought its Washington farms in 2016.
With the passage of the phaseout bill, the company has said it will take the time it needs to decide what to do next with its Washington operations, The Seattle Times said. All options are on the table, the company has said, including farming another species.
