some good news for a change

albula

albula

We are all Bozos on this bus
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Yesterday, the Washington Board of Natural Resources cast a historic vote to permanently ban commercial net pen aquaculture in Washington marine waters. This decision ensures that polluting and dangerous net pens will never return to threaten our public waters again, safeguarding wild salmon and Puget Sound's ecosystems for all current and future generations.
 
Salmo_g said:
All except treaty tribal, of course.
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At one time, Cooke had an agreement with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and they sued the state. I believe the intent was to raise steelhead. I'm not sure where things stand with the agreement or lawsuit at this time.
SF
 
Squaxin Island Tribe has been raising coho in net pens in south Puget Sound in cooperation with WDFW for decades. They are reared for release however, and not for direct to commercial sales. There are other similar, but smaller, net pen operations throughout PS.
 
Stonedfish said:
At one time, Cooke had an agreement with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and they sued the state. I believe the intent was to raise steelhead. I'm not sure where things stand with the agreement or lawsuit at this time.
SF
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I seem to recall the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe had plans to install pens inside Ediz Hook. I don't know if that ever happened or not.
 
Buzzy said:
I seem to recall the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe had plans to install pens inside Ediz Hook. I don't know if that ever happened or not.
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Not there yet and discussion of it has either gone away or is being hidden. As has been well documented there are rules that the tribes have to adhere to and there are rules that everyone else has to follow. The two are not the same.
 
Buzzy said:
I seem to recall the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe had plans to install pens inside Ediz Hook. I don't know if that ever happened or not.
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JSKT had plans (not constructed yet) to farm "steelhead" and black cod in pens in that location and possibly other locations for commercial sale, and they opposed the commercial net pen ban, while several other Tribes supported the ban. With the ban in place, those planned commercial facilities are a no-go.
 
albula said:
Not there yet and discussion of it has either gone away or is being hidden. As has been well documented there are rules that the tribes have to adhere to and there are rules that everyone else has to follow. The two are not the same.
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Not that hidden:

www.seafoodsource.com

Cooke, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe sue Washington state over net-pen ban

Cooke Aquaculture and the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe have filed separate lawsuits challenging Washington’s decision to ban net-pen aquaculture.
www.seafoodsource.com www.seafoodsource.com

www.fox13seattle.com

WA upholds ban on open-water ‘net pen’ salmon farms

The Washington State Board of Natural Resources voted Tuesday to codify a ban on net pens, effectively outlawing open-water salmon farms in state-managed waterways.
www.fox13seattle.com www.fox13seattle.com
 
The tribe was trying to get around that by partnering to raise steelhead for consumption instead of salmon. Perhaps it is just winding its way through the court system but there has been no recent news about the attempt to circumvent the regulations put in place for everyone else.
 
This is good news. Saltwater net pens are terrible.
 
Not all saltwater net pens are terrible in my opinion. As mention, the ones that raise fish for release rather then commercial harvest contribute to a lot of our PS angling opportunities, especially for coho.
I'm sure they have some not so great environment issues, but without them we'd have less angling opportunities. I don't always agree though with how they are operated. Since they are all hatchery fish, I believe they should all be clipped. I guess that comes down to cost and the will of whoever is operating the program. In some cases, a fish is viewed the same whether it is of wild or hatchery origin.
SF
 
Stonedfish said:
Not all saltwater net pens are terrible in my opinion. As mention, the ones that raise fish for release rather then commercial harvest contribute to a lot of our PS angling opportunities, especially for coho.
I'm sure they have some not so great environment issues, but without them we'd have less angling opportunities. I don't always agree though with how they are operated. Since they are all hatchery fish, I believe they should all be clipped. I guess that comes down to cost and the will of whoever is operating the program. In some cases, a fish is viewed the same whether it is of wild or hatchery origin.
SF
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Are you really saying that the environmental devastation caused by net pens is okay as long as you have more salmon to fish for? Maybe I missed something.
 
albula said:
Are you really saying that the environmental devastation caused by net pens is okay as long as you have more salmon to fish for? Maybe I missed something.
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I’m not sure environmental devastation would be how I’d describe resident coho net pen projects.
There is likely some environmental issues with net pens. I don’t believe it is nearly as bad with resident coho, as they are only in the pens if I remember correctly for four months prior to release. These aren’t large fish either like those raised by Cooke for commercial purposes. These programs are run by many organizations and tribes add a lot to our fishing opportunities, which I appreciate. I’ve been lucky enough to participate in this fishery for a long time and I’m happy they are available to us. The other option is to have a lot less salmon and angling opportunities than we currently have, which some may be happy with. There are certainly trade-offs when it comes to salmon hatchery programs.
If these programs are something you are unhappy with or have concerns with their effects on the environment, feel free to voice your opinion or submit your comments to WDFW during the HOF process or public comment period.
Here is the future brood stock document if you have an interest in seeing the location of net pen programs.
SF

 
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