Washington State previously garnered international attention for successfully removing all ocean-polluting commercial net pens from Puget Sound. Now, with a new statute permanently banning this industry from ever returning, Washington is the first place in the world to both entirely eliminate open-net pens and permanently ban future operation of commercial net pens in marine waters. […]

On the West Coast, Justin Trudeau will be remembered for his decision to phase out open-net pen salmon farms, which has been delayed until 2029 to allow for a transition to land-based closed containment farms. It was a 2019 Liberal election campaign promise: transition all Pacific open-net pen salmon farms to closed containment systems as […]

Washington State has now banned commercial open-net pen fish farming after disaster struck in 2017 when an open-net pen operated by Cooke Aquaculture near Cypress Island collapsed, releasing 250,000 non-native Atlantic salmon in the Puget Sound. In its quest to ban the practice completely, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) cited that even open-net pen […]

“I’m extremely upset that these fish farms are still even here despite our efforts to be rid of them. We are always force-fed these decisions to keep fish farms in our territory, but we’re not going to tolerate that anymore,” said Haa’wilth Kla-kwa-skum Jordan Michael from the Nuchatlaht Nation. The recent diesel spill from Grieg […]

A diesel spill of up to 8,000 litres at Grieg Seafood’s Lutes Creek salmon farm near Zeballos, B.C., is wreaking havoc on marine life and Indigenous traditions. The Ehattesaht First Nation has issued a clam harvesting alert and beach closures, disrupting their ability to gather food during critical low winter tides. For the nations impacted, […]

An 8,000-litre diesel spill caused by Grieg Seafood has contaminated waters near Zeballos, directly affecting Nuchatlaht and Ehattesaht First Nations territories. Grieg attributed the spill to “human error”, stating they are reviewing fuel transfer procedures: “We apologize for the disruption this has caused.” “It is clam season and our people should be out there digging […]

“We’ve seen good returns across species and populations,” said Greg Taylor, senior fisheries advisor to Watershed Watch Salmon Society. “This is one of the best returns that there’s been for the last 20 years I would suggest,” Peter McCully, biologist and longtime volunteer with Goldstream Hatchery. As DFO hands more responsibility for salmon management to […]

Under the Federal Fisheries Minister’s “strict new Conditions of Licence”, sea lice are supposed to be maintained at 2.8 per fish or less. In August and September, 60-72% of MOWI’s farms were over that limit, with levels as high as 22 sea lice per fish. View Sea Lice Reports from Mowi’s salmon farms in BC […]

Hereditary Chiefs of the Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw and Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw First Nations and the First Nation Wild Salmon Alliance (FNWSA) call out misleading press statements by the Coalition of First Nation for Finfish Stewardship (FNFFS). To date, the FNWSA has identified 120+ First Nations across BC who support the transition of open-net pen salmon farms out of […]

A group of Hereditary Chiefs from northern Vancouver Island are calling on the Coalition of First Nations for Finfish Stewardship (FNFFS) to clarify its list of open-net pen fish farm supporters. Hereditary Chiefs of the Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw and Kwakwa̱ ka̱ ʼwakw First Nations with the First Nation Wild Salmon Alliance (FNWSA) were in Vancouver Wednesday […]