Investigation of Cooke's farmed salmon die-off finds no permit violations

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) said Monday it found no permit violations in relation to the death of nearly 116,000 salmon last month at a Cooke Aquaculture salmon farm site in the state.

Cooke discovered the mortalities on Aug. 16, and final losses at its Black Island site were reported at 28,212, while Black Island South mortalities reached 87,607.

On Sept. 23, DEP Enforcement and Compliance staff met to review permit requirements and the data submitted by Cooke to the department.