The price would well worth paying to keep these filthy fuckers away from us.

would be*

Even if Atlantic salmon farms are not as bad as people fear (but they might be), it's hard to see how what we get (a couple dozen jobs, a pittance in rent) could possibly be worth the unknown risk (which at least includes a litigious fish farming tenant trying to be hard to evict).

"The escaped Atlantic salmon compete with native species like Chinook for food and breeding grounds, plus they spread disease..."

There is no evidence that this is happening, or has ever happened, even when Atlantic salmon were DELIBERATELY introduced to Salish Sea tributaries numerous times throughout the 20th century .

"This disaster could have devastating effects and could potentially decimate this year’s run of Chinook salmon...”

Yeah, it won't.

Hm, guessing @4 is a Cooke-connected troll, seeing as they apparently deleted their account immediately after posting.

And this is why we have courts.

its all going to work out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm5LAODy…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9e0VphC…

they say they will seek mandatory arbitration under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) if the state succeeds in phasing out Atlantic salmon farming.

See? This... THIS is why we shutdown the WTO in 1999. This is why giving corporations (that represent owners) more power than, you know, nations (that represent people/citizens) is a bad idea.

I hope this fish company gets Cooke-d by our Department of Ecology. fuckers.

@8, I hope that same result pans out for this situation too.

Rot in Hell, Cooke Aquaculture, and choke on it.

This is science versus emotion. When Atlantic salmon was first introduced in the Puget sound, the tribes supported it. They too net pen farm. But they do it with native stock. If you watch the hearings, you will see the senior pathologist tell congress that the farmed native ones pose more of a risk to native fish than do the Atlantic's since they are a different genus and don't interbreed. Plus, in the first legislative hearing, the interagency task force reported they had recovered 50,000 fish. They found them disease free, no sea lice, and stomachs empty. So what exactly are they competing for? Correct me if I'm wrong but these waters had one hundred fold fish in them. Those fish ate and pooped in the sound. Creatures from the sea are the only ones who are supposed to. Yet we have 106 publicly owned sewer treatment plants outputting over 100,000 pounds annually of chemicals that they admit they can't remove. That doesn't include what comes out of the storm drains, fertilizers off fields from traditional farming, and the pollution produced by boats such as fishing fleets. I'm pretty sure Cooke is fighting a losing battle but ultimately it's the salmon that are losing. This planet is grossly over populated and continues to be more so by the minute, literally. After Cooke is pushed out, in years to come you will not see a big turn around in the salmon runs. The fishing industry will see to that. Don't worry, they are projecting another million people in this state in the next twenty years. I'm sure the sound will be pristine and abound with salmon by then..........

That's Onehella Business Model! Trash the ecosystem, getchyer ass banned for trashing the ecosystem, and then sue for "lost profits."

Ain't unbridled Capitalism AMAZING?!

Wheretf do I get my Free Money?

Actually, these fish are capable of becoming established. See http://volpelab.weebly.com/uploads/4/4/2….

While it may be a low-probability event (they have to make it to a suitable stream in a year with conditions that will support them, and then find a mate), it apparently can happen and there is no reason to think it would not ultimately happen other places. Our native fish don't need the competition as one more factor driving them down.

The Volpe study is an unreplicated fluke, the one generation of reproduction didn't take even if it really was what they thought it was. Doesn't mean it won't happen the 3rd, 5th, 17th time though.

They have a lot of nerve suing our State when their lack of oversight is directly related to their being closed down. Some years back when the Cyprus Island facility had a breach, we saw salmon jumping all over our bay on Lopez Island. How great, look at all the salmon! Not. We tried to catch them with a pole and lure. Then we heard about the breach and it became obvious they only knew pellets as food and would not bite. Not natural and totally turned us off Atlantic salmon for good. I really hope the latest batch of escapees all die in the wild. Good for the State for putting a stop to this farming practice.