SEATTLE — Washington state will phase out marine farming of Atlantic salmon and other non-native fish by 2022 under legislation signed Thursday by Gov. It targets Canada’s Cooke Aquaculture Pacific, the largest producer of farmed Atlantic salmon in the U.S., whose net pens in northwest Washington collapsed Aug. 19. Up to 263,000 invasive Atlantic salmon escaped into Puget Sound, raising fears about the impact to native Pacific salmon runs. “I’ve long argued that salmon farming in North America is in search of a problem. Kenneth Warheit, who supervises the genetic and health laboratories for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said he thinks “that Atlantic salmon aquaculture in the state of Washington poses a low risk to our native salmon.”

Source: National Post March 22, 2018 21:33 UTC