Salmon Net Pen Failure: Is this what regulatory oversight is? If so, all net pens should be closed down.

"DNR, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Department of Ecology 

are working on a coordinated response Friday in dealing with the fish emergency."

August 25, KING-5, 6 days after the failure.

(from KING-5)

WDFW action plan: Let the public go fishing! 

To date, the most meaningful attempt at a response has been for WDFW to let the public clean up the mess and tell fishermen to go catch as many as they can. But, be sure you have a license. Is that realistic? 

We can't count the fish. It's too dangerous!

(from KING-5)

DNR: You are in default. But we don't know by how much yet.

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) who leases the bedlands below to Cooke has filed a notice of default for releasing the non-native Atlantic salmon. A number ranging from a few thousand to over 305,000, and almost week later, a number still not known because of the danger from the twisted metal. What that means for the future of the farm off of Cypress Island is not known. Yet.

I'm not a security guard. I just monitor things.

How closely was DOE monitoring this?

DOE: "Commercial net pens have greatly improved in the last 20 year"

"Ecology will continue to monitor the science"

"Ecology said the county [Jefferson] could not prohibit net pens because a negative environmental impact could not be proven."

The Department of Ecology, responsible for overseeing net pen aquaculture in Washington, appears to  silent. They do, of course, have a web page devoted to explaining how raising non-native Atlantic salmon good for Puget Sound, pointing out how they will monitor these farms. That the failure occurred puts in question just what "monitoring" means. That one week later they are still working on a response puts in question why they are responsible for telling counties how to develop regulations for these operations, and more significantly, telling counties they cannot ban net pens (Peninsula Daily News in article discussing their Shoreline Management Program).

Get involved. Help support Our Sound, Our Salmon and tell Governor Inslee it is time to close these operations down.

Oregon, California, and Alaska have banned net pens. Washington should not be allowed to be the only state which does. Support Our Sound, Our Salmon and tell Governor Inslee it's time to tell Cooke to go elsewhere and that industrial scale aquaculture is too much of a risk to Puget Sound. 

Governor Inslee: https://fortress.wa.gov/es/governor/
Legislative and Congressional contacts:
http://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/