In August 2017, a devastating net pen aquaculture collapse at a facility maintained by Cooke Aquaculture in Puget Sound released an estimated 260,000 non-native and
This week, we are celebrating a monumental environmental victory for Puget Sound’s ecosystems, Washington Tribal Nations, and the protection of our iconic wild salmon and Southern Resident orcas. On Tuesday, Washington State made history, becoming the first—and only—place in the world to successfully remove and permanently ban commercial net pen aquaculture.
Washington State recently garnered international attention for its successful removal of all polluting and hazardous commercial net pens from Puget Sound. Now, the state is on the verge of adopting a statute that would prohibit this commercial industry from ever returning to Puget Sound.
Celebrate the removal of WA’s net pens with Washington Commissioner Hilary Franz tomorrow on Bainbridge Island.
All week residents across Puget Sound watched the net pen industry packing up nets, removing debris, and pulling up anchors and chains that have been holding the industry’s net pens in place for over forty years. Now, Puget Sound is only days away from being free of all commercial net pens for the first time in nearly half a century.
Today, WA Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz announces new commitment to exploring zero-discharge, land-based aquaculture facilities as an alternative to open water net pens.
Today, Washington’s Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz made history when she announced a new groundbreaking executive order that will prohibit commercial net pen aquaculture in Washington state marine waters.
WFC is proud to be a co-plaintiff in a new lawsuit led by the Center for Food Safety challenging the federal government for authorizing a nationwide permit for industrial finfish aquaculture without environmental review of the risks.
WE DID IT! Commercial net pens are leaving Puget Sound for good.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve made incredible strides and progress on a variety of our science, education, and advocacy initiatives being covered in local and international news. With too frequent doom-inspiring news stories dominating the news, we’re excited to share some good news for wild salmon recovery!
Join WFC and award-winning journalists Douglas Frantz & Catherine Collins for a discussion on their new book ‘Salmon Wars’— an exposé on Cooke Aquaculture & the global salmon farming industry
Wild Fish Conservancy joined a coalition of marine conservation organizations, trade groups, and the Quinault Indian Nation in filing notice of our intent to sue the U.S. Army Corps for its failure to consider impacts to threatened and endangered species when it authorized construction of offshore finfish aquaculture facilities around the country.
Canada’s Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Joyce Murray and Washington State’s Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz are both expected to announce major decisions that will determine the future of commercial net pen aquaculture along the Pacific Northwest Coast.
On Thursday, in a truly inspiring victory for wild Pacific salmon, orcas, and BC First Nations, the Canadian government agreed to phase out all open
On November 27th, the Bainbridge Island City Council passed an official resolution declaring support for the Taking Back Our Sound campaign, Wild Fish Conservancy’s competing
WA Fish and Wildlife Department advance a new proposal by Cooke Aquaculture to rear steelhead in their Puget Sound net pens alleging commercial open water net pens pose little to no environmental risks.
The agencies have finally begun formal consultation under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to evaluate the potential harm caused by Atlantic salmon net pens in Puget Sound.
Members and partners of the Our Sound, Our Salmon coalition deliver a petition to WA Fish and Wildlife expressing concerns over conflict of interest in net pen viral testing.
For immediate release.March 22nd, 2018 Today, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed HB2957 into law, an act that will effectively ban the practice of open-water Atlantic
WFC restates concern and findings of an exotic virus found in escaped farmed Atlantic salmon in Puget Sound after WA Fish and Wildlife attempted to mischaracterized and downplay the virus they failed to detect.
ndependent lab results demonstrate that 100% of escaped Atlantic salmon tested were highly infected with Piscine Orthoreovirus (PRV), and that the strain of the virus is of Norwegian origin.
Following the catastrophic collapse of a net pen in Puget Sound that released hundreds of thousands of farmed fish, Wild Fish Conservancy notifies Cooke Aquaculture of our intent to sue over Clean Water Act violations.
