Saving Seafood

WASHINGTON: Washington State bans net-pen aquaculture

January 9, 2025 — Commercial finfish pen aquaculture appears finished in Washington State, after the Board of Natural Resources voted Jan. 7 to ban the industry.

The vote was a victory for Washington State’s Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, who pushed for strict limitations on leasing state tidelands for aquaculture.

“Avoiding impacts is our legal and moral responsibility,” Franz said, according to the Seattle Times. “I ask why did we ever allow this…I am asking the board to learn from the past and the effects of our decision.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Experts Urge Cautious Approach on Great Lakes Fish Farming

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — October 30, 2015 — If Michigan allows commercial fish farming in the Great Lakes, the industry should begin on a small and experimental scale to enable careful monitoring of the effect on the environment and wild fish populations, scientists said in a report to state officials.

The recommendation was among many in five reports submitted by a panel of scientists, economists and other experts appointed to advise regulators considering whether a process known as “net-pen aquaculture” would be suitable for Great Lakes waters within Michigan’s boundaries.

The state departments of Environmental Quality, Natural Resources and Agriculture and Rural Development requested the study and recently posted the reports online.

State officials say they’ve heard from two operators interested in raising rainbow trout in floating enclosures in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. The fish would remain inside the large nets until big enough for the consumer food market. But no permit applications have been submitted.

Read the full story from The New York Times