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NWAA Reaction to New Anti-Aquaculture Book: “A Rehash of Old Claims”

July 14, 2022 — The following was released by the NWAA:

The Northwest Aquaculture Alliance (NWAA) is an organization of industry leading companies from Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska, who are engaged in the responsible production of aquatic foods. Our member companies embrace and comply with some of the most stringent standards in the world in the production of both finfish and shellfish—making these products highly desirable and in-demand in restaurants and retail supermarkets. Consumers care how their seafood is produced. So do we. For this reason, we take exception to the latest anti-aquaculture book to hit the market. We believe it does a disservice to the public to publish what is essentially a rehash of old, largely disproven, claims.

From a Washington state perspective, agencies such as the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), the Washington Department of Ecology, and the Department of Natural Resources, have been leaders in developing stringent regulations governing the production of aquatic foods such as salmonids, while protecting wild fish stocks and the environment. Our members welcome the regulatory oversight of these agencies and strive to be transparent and open with respect to aquaculture practices in Washington.

For example, in 2020, when our member company, Cooke Aquaculture Pacific, sought to transition from farming Atlantic salmon to steelhead, the state approved the petition to grow all-female, sterile trout. That approval imposed numerous new conditions on fish farming in Washington, which Cooke readily accepted. As part of that approval, WDFW engaged in extensive analysis and found no risk of significant adverse impacts associated with Cooke’s farming.

Environmental groups unsuccessfully appealed that decision, losing a hearing in Superior Court in 2020, and then again after the Washington State Supreme Court upheld that approval in a unanimous decision. Additionally, after a multi-year evaluation, the National Marine Fisheries Service/NOAA recently completed its extensive analysis of fish farming in Washington, concluding that there is no harm to listed species at farming levels equal to or less than the historic maximum production in Washington.

Our NWAA member companies depend on a healthy environment to farm and are committed to supporting the environment. Cooke Aquaculture Pacific, for example, has not only embraced increased regulation of its operations, but the company has made enormous strides in working on fisheries enhancement projects in Washington as well as elsewhere. Cooke is committed to developing partnerships with the Tribes and local communities that benefit residents and the region, helping to ensure that there are wild fish for generations to come, and healthy, sustainable farmed fish to help meet the food demands of a growing global population.

Read the full release at NWAA

NWAA fires back at Patagonia’s anti net-pen aquaculture video

October 27, 2020 — The Northwest Aquaculture Alliance (NWAA) has pushed back against a video by clothing company Patagonia titled “Take Back Puget Sound,” which focuses on net-pen aquaculture.

The new video focuses specially on Washington state, and opens with footage of a net-pen collapse suffered by Cooke Aquaculture, with speakers involved calling net-pen aquaculture “a dirty industry.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Northwest Aquaculture Alliance elects new officers

August 27, 2020 — The Northwest Aquaculture Alliance (NWAA) has announced the election of two new officers who will serve in leadership roles for the organization.

Cooke Aquaculture Pacific General Manager Jim Parsons has been elected to the role of president of the NWAA, and Jamestown Seafood CEO Kurt Grinnell has been elected to serve as the vice president. The NWAA is an advocate for aquaculture in the northwest region of the United States, and parts of Canada.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

NWAA’s Hugh Mitchell: Aquaculture is being unfairly demonized

February 14, 2019 — Aquaculture is being unfairly demonized, and that’s not good for industry or the planet, according to Hugh Mitchell, a newly appointed board member of the Northwest Aquaculture Alliance.

Mitchell, a fish health expert and co-owner the Kirkland, Washington, U.S.A.-based fish health supply distributor and consultancy company Aquatactics, said he joined the board of the organization formerly known as the Washington Fish Growers Association to help fight the stigma surrounding aquaculture, which he said is particularly virulent in the U.S. Pacific Northwest.

“The message [regarding aquaculture] right now is wrong,” Mitchell told SeafoodSource. “I think aquaculture is the key to saving the aquatic ecosystems. It’s not a threat by any means.”

Mitchell, a veterinarian with a bachelor’s degree in marine biology and a master’s degree in aquatic ecology, has been working in the field for 30 years. He said he looked forward to trying to make a difference in his role as a board member for the Northwest Aquaculture Alliance (NWAA). Founded in 2009, the NWAA is a trade association that recently went through a rebranding and now represents regional fish famers and aquaculture across the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, as well as the province of British Columbia, Canada.

NWAA Board President John Dentler said that Mitchell’s appointment to the board is “an endorsement of our mission to bring a science-based discussion to the important conversation about aquaculture that is happening here and around the world.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

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