Read what integrity is.
“Your demand to keep quiet for a few extra dollars is insulting,”
(From the Seattle Times, October 12)
(From the Seattle Times)
If we pay for the tape will you be quiet?
Money didn't work. The surprise is Cooke didn't try beads and shiny metal.
The Seattle Times' Lynda Mapes writes on the response from the Lummi Nation to Cooke Aquaculture's attempt to stop the Lummi from advocating for the removal of net pen operations growing nonnative invasive Atlantic salmon. Cooke's stumbling down a path leaving footprints of half truths and utter confusion ran into a wall of integrity built by the Lummi Nation. Given Cooke's past response - or lack thereof - to the problems it was surprising they didn't offer beads and trinkets instead of money to buy silence. This is a company which should be told to close down their operations and move their idea of integrity and what is good for them somewhere outside of Washington's public waters.
We'll hire the best scientists,
trained in the art of deception!
(You too can create fake science, here.)
Let us hire a scientist who will show there's no problem. Trust us.
Adding further to the insulting belief that the Lummi Nation's silence could be bought for a few dollars is Cooke's belief that people - from whatever nation - would honestly trust a "study" funded by them on the impacts of escaped nonnative invasive Atlantic salmon from their collapsed net pen. A collapse which they could have easily been avoided by removing fish in July when the collapse first began. Instead, pursuing additional pounds and additional profits, they chose to squeeze another month out of a failing pen, a pen which collapsed completely one month later, releasing 165,000 mature and well fed nonnative invasive Atlantic salmon into Puget Sound. Then who blamed the "eclipse".
You drive a hard bargain. Let us fund positions and make you wealthy. Just be quiet!
Putting a bow on the obvious knot which Cooke was trying to tie around the Lummi Nation to silence them, they offered to fund a position in the Lummi's natural-resource department and to “...explore and implement economic partnerships that would be very beneficial to your tribal members, in the form of jobs and revenue, potentially with a total economic benefit that exceeds $1 million annually to the members of your tribe.” (September 13 Letter from Cooke to Lummi, Seattle Times, October 12)
This is not what Cooke wants you to see -
the core of what this company is.
Bainbridge Island net pen. DNR's reponse:
You are in default of your lease.
How about an all expense paid trip to Nova Scotia? Or Maine? Or Scotland? No, not Bainbridge Island.
In an August 30 letter from Cooke to the Lummi Nation they also extended an offer to fund a trip to see Cooke operations across the world and show what good stewards they were. It would seem a trip to the Bainbridge Island facility was not going to be included, a facility which the Department of Natural Resources found in such disrepair they wrote a letter of default demanding the repairs be made within 60 days. A facility which simply represents the core of what this company is.
Thank you to the Lummi Nation
Thank you to the Seattle Times.
Get involved - Cooke was just issued a permit by WDFW to import another 2 million nonnative Atlantic salmon eggs from Iceland.
These nonnative invasive Atlantic salmon do not belong in the public's waters, nor in the Lummi Nation's traditional waters. Cooke can see nothing but profits and believes everyone will simply do as they please if paid enough money. It's time to realize that aquaculture in Washington is not grandpa's oyster farm anymore. These are large corporations who have money and motivation to expand into Washington's marine ecosystems. They believe money can buy any kind of science they want; that politicians and agencies will simply roll over and agree these industrial operations are "in the state wide interest"; and that integrity does not exist. It does. Get involved.
Finally - Support investigative journalism.
The Seattle Times has been instrumental in laying bare the disaster which Cooke Aquaculture and complacent state agencies allowed to happen and, more importantly, the subterfuge they created in attempting to hide their negligence. Subscribe to the paper and support investigative journalism of this caliber.
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