Washington State Senate passes landmark legislation to phase-out industrial ocean fish farms

WASHINGTON, DC – The Washington State Senate has passed legislation that would phase-out industrial ocean fish farms in state waters. Senate Bill 6086, which was introduced by Senator Kevin Ranker, would ban new leases to Atlantic salmon net pen farms and prohibit the renewal of all existing leases.

Last August, an Atlantic salmon net pen ruptured near Cypress Island, releasing more than 263,000 non-native fish into Puget Sound. The move to halt industrial ocean fish farming in the state comes amid news that Cooke Aquaculture – which owns and operates all of the Atlantic salmon net pen facilities in Washington – significantly misrepresented vital facts about the spill, from the cause to the actual number of escaped fish.

Hallie Templeton, senior oceans campaigner for Friends of the Earth, issued the following response:

The phase-out of industrial fish farms is good news for Washington’s waters. This legislation is critical to protect our oceans and our wild, native salmon.

Industrial ocean fish farms have no place in Washington’s waterways. We must stop corporations from commercializing our oceans and ravaging our environment. Senators have taken a welcome step in joining neighboring states by banning this harmful industry.

SB-6086 will next to go to the Washington State House of Representatives for consideration. The 2018 legislative session ends on March 8, 2018.

Expert Contact: Hallie Templeton, (434) 326-4647, [email protected]
Communications Contact: Erin Jensen, (202) 222-0722, [email protected]