Photo by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Offering scientific input on farmed salmon escape
In August 2017 over 100,000 farmed Atlantic Salmon escaped from a net pen in the Salish Sea. “SeaDoc provided legislators with critical scientific information about the risk that net-pen-released Atlantic salmon posed to wild salmon,” said Washington Senator Kevin Ranker, who was one of the legislative leaders of the effort to address the issue.
This information, provided in a timely manner, helped Senator Ranker and Representative Kris Lytton, who led in the house, educate their colleagues, speak to the press and to the public about the event and, ultimately provided the scientific support needed for Sen. Ranker and Rep. Lytton to champion and pass a state law permanently banning commercial net pens used for farming invasive Atlantic salmon in Washington state waters (HB 2957).