Order on Appeal in Case No. 20-2-03704-4 SEA

Final order issued by a Thurston County Superior Court Judge in Case No. 20-2-03704-4 SEA. In this case, Wild Fish Conservancy, Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Food Safety, and Friends of the Earth challenged the WA Department of Fish and Wildlife for permitting Cooke Aquaculture Pacific to begin rearing steelhead in their Puget Sound net pens without conducting comprehensive review under the State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA). In the order, the Judge explains the Court does not have the expertise to overrule WDFW’s opinion and therefore deferred to the agency.

The environmental groups filed an appeal to the Washington Supreme Court.