Victory against industrial ocean fish farm responsible for massive salmon spill
Washington State officials shutter floating factory farm
WASHINGTON, DC — Washington State officials have moved to terminate the lease of an industrial Atlantic salmon farm operated by Cooke Aquaculture near Cypress Island. Last August, the same facility spilled more than 260,000 farmed Atlantic salmon into Puget Sound waters due to a rupture of the net pens.
The announcement comes days after state investigators released a report blaming the spill on Cooke’s negligent maintenance. The report also found that Cooke lied about the number of salmon that were spilled from the farm as well as the number of fish recovered.
Hallie Templeton, senior oceans campaigner for Friends of the Earth, issued the following statement in response:
Cooke’s floating factory farms have no place in our oceans. Cooke Aquaculture has a disastrous record in Washington State, with multiple facility inspections showing poor maintenance and structural flaws. The company lied about the massive salmon spill last August so that they could continue to reap profits and avoid punishment for their negligence.
We must stop corporations like Cooke from commercializing our oceans and ravaging the environment. This announcement from Washington State officials is a step in the right direction.
Expert Contact: Hallie Templeton, (434) 326-4647, [email protected]
Communications Contact: Erin Jensen, (202) 222-0722, [email protected]