Canada's Cooke Aquaculture is in early discussions with Washington state officials to potentially raise rainbow trout in its Atlantic salmon pens, which are set to be phased out of existence by 2022.
"We're having those discussions now," Cooke's Joel Richardson told IntraFish. "If and when we transition to another species, we would work with the state on the permitting specific to another species."
Richardson said the timeline for that transition is not yet solidified, but could happen when the company's remaining salmon net pens are no longer allowed to be used for farming Atlantic salmon.
The company currently has 800,000 Atlantic salmon stocked in its remaining pens, down from 3.5 million fish a few years ago. In 2017 Cooke's catastrophic net pen collapse allowed more than 250,000 non-native fish to escape into Puget Sound. The following year, Washington’s Legislature reacted by passing a new law to phase out non-native species in marine fish farming by 2022.
"We've said throughout the process, if we weren't permitted to farm Atlantic salmon, we want to continue doing business in Washington state," he said. "If that means we need to switch species, that's something we have considered throughout this process."
Colleen Keltz, a spokeswoman for Washington state's Department of Ecology, confirmed to IntraFish that talks with Cooke are underway and saidany potential switch to another species takes several steps. Cooke needs to have the process approved by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). If the company wants to change species while its Atlantic salmon farming permits are still active, it would also need to undergo a public process for the modification.
Remaining pens receive further scrutiny
Washington state's Department of Ecology announced Thursday it will require Cooke Aquaculture's remaining salmon farms in the state to undergo heavier monitoring, inspections and reporting, and to have emergency response plans, until the fish are phased out by 2022.
The updated permits have improved protections and requirements to reduce environmental impacts from net pen operations, including:
- Increasing underwater video monitoring.
- Conducting regular inspections to assess structural integrity of the net pens, and to submit inspection reports certified by a qualified marine engineer to Ecology.
- Requiring improved maintenance of the net pens, and improving the net cleaning and maintenance procedures.
- Requiring the permittee, in coordination with tribes and Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW), to develop site-specific response plans if fish escape, and to conduct and participate in preparedness trainings.
- Maintaining contact information to notify area tribes and state agencies if fish escape.
The decision followed a lengthy public comment period on Cooke Aquaculture's draft water quality permits for the company's four remaining Washington state net pen salmon farms.
