Today, another one of Cooke Aquaculture’s remaining net pens was towed away and removed from Puget Sound. This facility, which has operated for over three decades near Bainbridge Island and within the Orchard Rocks Conservation Area, will finally be put to rest for metal salvage. Over that time this site has experienced deadly viral outbreaks, sea lice infestations, structural failures, and discharged rampant levels of pollution on a daily basis.
We know this news will come as huge celebration to residents on Bainbridge Island and the public throughout Puget Sound. In November, the Bainbridge Island City Council voted unanimously to pass a resolution declaring support for the Taking Back Our Sound campaign, Wild Fish Conservancy's competing proposal to lease all waters in Puget Sound leased and degraded by the net pen industry for over three decades. Check out our news article on the City's resolution.
This removal builds on a similar victory from September when Cooke removed their only net pen from the Port Angeles Harbor, as well as the shuttering of the remaining Cypress Island pens following the catastrophic collapse event in August 2017. After today, only three net pens remain in Puget Sound with valid leases and permits to operate. And just two months ago, the Canadian government announced another 19 fish farms will be decommissioned along the British Columbia coast.
While the fight isn’t over, the removal of another one of Cooke’s net pens is a true testament to the incredible movement that continues to grow in Washington and throughout the northwest.
As we continue to push forward, thank you to all our members and supporters of the Our Sound, Our Salmon campaign, the conservation community, Tribal Nations, First Nations, and the public at large for making it possible to protect the northwest's wild fish and the health of our public waters from this harmful industry.