This story is breaking news. Check back for updates.
Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz--who is currently in a legal battle with Cooke over not renewing the company's remaining steelhead farms in the state--has announced she is running for governor.
Franz, who is currently pursuing land-based salmon production options in Washington state, last year through the Washington State Department of Natural Resources canceled licenses for Cooke's remaining steelhead farms, citing the need to free the state of "enclosed cages" and return waters "to wild fish."
She followed this by ordering a complete ban on all netpen salmon farming in the state.
Soon after, Cooke filed a complaint in Washington State Superior Court to appeal the state's decision to deny renewal of the company's fish farming permits for its Hope Island and Rich Passage farms, and was granted extra time to remove its fish given the intense stress the decision was causing to the company and its workers.
A proponent for moving to land-based
Franz said moving to land-based facilities would be one way for Cooke employees in Washington state to deal with potential job losses that could come from closing all of the company's remaining finfish netpens in the state.
"I believe there are huge opportunities for land-based aquaculture," Franz said when asked about her feelings on the land-based industry last year.
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in April signed a letter of intent with Canadian land-based salmon farming operation Sustainable Blue to explore the development of land-based aquaculture in the state.
Nova Scotia-based Sustainable Blue, which established a pilot recirculation aquaculture system (RAS) facility in 2010 in Centre Burlington, now produces around 1,000 metric tons of salmon annually.
The new letter of intent with Sustainable Blue could leverage land and water managed by DNR for potential siting of new land-based facilities.
The State of Washington has been increasingly limiting Cooke's ability to operate netpens following the August 2017 collapse of a netpen at the company's Cypress Island fish farm.
Northwest Aquaculture Alliance (NWAA) Executive Director Jeanne McKnight has previously called Franz's decisions "unscientific," accusing the lawmaker of "playing politics" with her policies.
Following the announcement McKnight told IntraFish the group is "evaluating candidates and will support the candidate who supports aquaculture--both marine and freshwater--and the Blue Economy."
The group earlier this year launched a campaign questioning the science to ban all netpen finfish farming in Washington state-owned waters.
As part of the campaign, the group has called Franz's action "overreaching," and have asked state lawmakers to step in.
Franz so far faces fellow state Democrat, Attorney General Bob Ferguson, in the 2024 race.
