A federal judge is requiring Cooke Aquaculture to undergo an additional day of testimony in relation to a lawsuit alleging the company is guilty of violating the Clean Water Act (CWA), following a massive salmon escape in Washington state in 2017.

A Washington-state based federal court ruled April 19 Cooke Aquaculture's testimony was "evasive" regarding whether inspections of its net pens revealed a need for maintenance or repair prior to the salmon escapes.

The Washington state-based NGO Wild Fish Conservancy filed the lawsuit in 2017.