Washington Bans Open Sea Net Pen Salmon Farms
The Washington State Board of Natural Resources has adopted a rule prohibiting commercial finfish net pen aquaculture on state-owned aquatic lands.
The action comes more than seven years after the collapse of a net pen array off Cypress Island released over 250,000 Atlantic salmon into Puget Sound.
“The crisis of our Puget Sound and salmon and orca populations calls for avoidance,” Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz said. “Avoidance is our legal and moral responsibility.”
Franz noted that the famed orca Tahlequah, who captured hearts worldwide in 2018 when she carried her dead calf for 17 days and over 1,000 miles, displayed a similar act of mourning in January 2025, carrying a baby calf birthed on Christmas Eve. The Seattle Times reported that the calf was confirmed dead ...
