WFC ecologist Dr. Nick Gayeski taking samples from an Atlantic salmon. (Photo: WFC)
Environmentalists file suit against Cooke over salmon escape
(UNITED STATES, 11/15/2017)
The organisation Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC) has decided to file a suit against Cooke Aquaculture Pacific, LLC with the goal of holding the company responsible for the negligent release of over 100,000 farmed Atlantic salmon into public waters.
The decision was taken based on the fact that the escape event off Cypress Island taking place in August represents a threat to already imperiled wild fish populations, marine mammal species, and the fragile Puget Sound ecosystem at-large.
WFC considers that these discharges represent "blatantly negligent violations" of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits under which Cooke Aquaculture’s Atlantic salmon net pens currently operate.
While many efforts have been taken by local tribal, commercial, and recreational fishermen to remove the escaped Atlantic salmon from public waters, many thousands eluded capture and are currently spreading throughout the farthest reaches of the Salish Sea and beyond.
According to Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, Atlantic salmon have been found as far south as southern Puget Sound and as far north as northern Vancouver Island.
“This escape has forced the public to accept a huge gamble that depressed populations of wild, native salmon and steelhead will not be harmed by this non-native invader,” said Dr. Nick Gayeski, fisheries scientist at the Conservancy.
“Escaped non-native fish pose predation and disease threats to juvenile salmon and steelhead rearing in nearshore habitats in Puget Sound. They also pose threats to adult wild salmon and steelhead by competing for spawning habitat and potentially by establishing self-sustaining populations in Puget Sound rivers as they have been documented to have done on Vancouver Island,” Dr Gayeski stressed.
In addition to legal measures, WFC reported it is working to more precisely quantify the potential impacts of the August release by sending escaped Atlantic salmon samples obtained by the Lummi Nation to independent labs to test for a variety of toxins and viral diseases. According to the environmentalist organisation, testing the escaped fish for a comprehensive list of toxins and viral diseases will be crucial in determining the escape event’s true impact on the well-being of wild fish and marine mammal populations.
Earlier this year, Wild Fish Conservancy launched the Our Sound, Our Salmon campaign to oppose the expansion of Atlantic salmon net pens in Puget Sound.
On the other hand, from Cooke Aquaculture, it was reported that the hundreds of escaped salmon it captured all had empty stomachs.
“It would seem, from a biological point of view, that the likelihood of many more fish surviving is diminishing by the day,” said Bruce Botka, spokesman for the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. “Without a consistent food source, their fat reserves can only last so long before they become food for crabs or other bottom feeders,” he explained.
Related articles:
- Conservation group to sue Cooke over salmon escape
- Eclipse's high tides cause mass farmed Atlantic salmon escape
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