November 29-30: Upland Salmon Farming in Closed Pens Workshop

A workshop on salmon farming in closed pens will be held in Vancouver, BC on November 29 and 30. Participants include Atlantic Sapphire's Johan Andreassen whose product was recently picked up by Portland based New Seasons Market. Grown in closed Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) these enclosed facilities eliminate the risks to native salmon which facilities such as those operated by Cooke Aquaculture create. It is the only means by which Atlantic salmon achieve Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch "Green" "Best Choice" rating.

Support Truly Sustainable Aquaculture

Coalition to Protect Puget Sound Habitat Year End Fund Raising

The Coalition to Protect Puget Sound Habitat has released its year end fund raising letter. It reviews 2017's activities and what it looks forward to in 2018.

Dear Members,

It is hard to believe that our Coalition to Protect Puget Sound is now being joined by National Organizations like the Center for Food Safety and the Center for Biological Diversity who are speaking out about the degradation of Puget Sound and Willapa Bay/Grays Harbor by the shellfish industry.  In addition, Wild Fish Conservancy and the Sierra Club are now taking the lead on demanding the end of finfish Atlantic salmon net pens in Washington State waters. Many of us can remember when we were laughed at and excluded as we presented the threats of industrial shellfish and finfish aquaculture to local, state and Federal Agencies--now the aquaculture industry is no longer laughing.

The following lists our accomplishments as we continue to move forward:

1.  We won the Washington State Court of Appeals decision that stopped the 5 acre Detienne geoduck operation in Henderson Bay/Pierce County.  This case is now published, is precedent setting and is also being used by other environmental groups trying to protect eelgrass and forage fish.

2.  By next spring, our Coalition lawsuit against the Army Corps for ignoring destructive cumulative impacts from shellfish aquaculture will be heard in Federal Court. After many years of working with the Center for Food Safety, we are excited that they have also sued the Army Corps for the adverse effects of shellfish aquaculture--especially on endangered species. Our litigation will be heard at the same time. To thank them for their invaluable pro-bono help, we encourage you to sign up with them as follows:

If you would like to learn more about CFS and stay updated on the work CFS is doing on shellfish aquaculture and other issues, it is free to sign up!

Just visit: http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/1881/signup_page/cfsjoin#showJoin  

3.  We have been told that nearly 1,000 comment letters opposing another Imidacloprid spray in Willapa Bay have been received by the Dept. of Ecology. Individuals, chefs and large national organizations stepped up after our years of alerting everyone of the devastation by the shellfish industry. This important coastal estuary has endured the shellfish industry spraying some form of pesticides directly in the water for over 40 years. Charts clearly show the corresponding plummeting of Chinook Salmon, ESA listed green sturgeon, ESA listed marbled murrelet, herring spawning and eelgrass beds.

4.  Bainbridge Island and Pierce County continue their battle with the Department of Ecology to protect their shorelines with comprehensive aquaculture regulations in the Shoreline Master Program updates. 

5. Our members have turned out to: 

 a.. Demand and see Jill Guernsey no longer the lawyer for the Pierce County Shorelines after reporting her conflict of interest of taking a donation from the shellfish industry's attorney for her Gig Harbor run for mayor at the same time she was representing Pierce County

 b.  Demand and see Dr. Glen VanBlaricom no longer presenting SeaGrant science after reporting his biased testimony at the Shoreline Hearings Board on behalf of the shellfish industry

 c.  Demand and see the Washington State Executive Ethics Board violation order against Kim Patten, who was the WSU scientist providing the "no harm" supporting science that has been used to issue pesticide spray permits for the shellfish industry in Willapa Bay/Grays Harbor for decades

 d.  Demand and see the first shellfish industry EIS required for the Burley Lagoon/Pierce County 25 acre geoduck application by Taylor Shellfish

We are currently working on other actions that will also protect our communities and we will announce these as soon as we are able to. Just know that we continue to move forward and greatly appreciate your time, donations and kind thoughts.  If you are making any year end donations, please keep us in mind as we will use those funds wisely.

Tax deductible donations can be sent to:  The Coalition To Protect Puget Sound Habitat

                                    P O Box 233, Burley, WA.   98322

Wishing all of you the very best during this Holiday Season!

Sincerely,

Laura Hendricks

(253) 509-4987

Senator Rankor Introduces a Bill to End Atlantic Salmon Farming in Puget Sound

Time for nonnative salmon and Cooke to go.

Wednesday: Cooke Aquaculture representatives and lobbyist testifies before the House Agriculture and Natural Resource Committee, telling legislators why they like themselves.
(See testimony of DNR, DOE, WDFW, Lummi Chairman Julius, and Cooke representatives/lobbyist  here: https://www.tvw.org/watch/?eventID=2017111058)
Thursday: Washington State Senator Rankor announces he will introduce legislation to end Atlantic salmon farming in Washington.
(Read Seattle Times article here: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/washington-state-senator-says-hell-file-bill-to-ban-atlantic-salmon-farming/)

Not satisfied with Cooke Aquaculture presenting themselves as fishermen/farmers focused on NOAA talking points of feeding the world through aquaculture and why they are respected in the northeast, Senator Rankor has agreed with Washington citizens: Cooke Aquaculture and Atlantic salmon have no place in Washington. Despite a glowing presentation before the House Agriculture and Natural Resource Committee highlighting who Cooke Aquaculture is, it was not enough to stop Senator Rankor from announcing that he was moving forward with introducing legislation which would ban these operations growing nonnative invasive Atlantic salmon in Washington's waters.

As pointed out in the article, Cooke Aquaculture is a large foreign company and will use its lobbying strengths to influence legislators and attorneys to fight attempts to limit its operations. After all, their bank loan is dependent on these leases and, as they say, it's all about the money.