Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is refuting claims made by the Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC) that there is any serious risk to wild salmon populations from escaped farmed Atlantic salmon.

WDFW Fish Health and Genetic Specialist Kenneth Warheit said the WFC's recent press release in reaction to the escape of salmon from Cooke Aquaculture's Puget Sound farm, confuses the virus PRV with the virus HSMI, misuses the scientific literature to exaggerate risks to native salmon and fails to find a single study to support the claim that PRV from open-water pens will harm wild fish.