Latest: Washington state bans salmon farms
An escape of non-native salmon prompted the state to shut down aquaculture.
Washington has now banned the practice altogether, ending three decades of Atlantic salmon farming in the state’s waters. Inslee signed the bill in mid-March, saying "these (net-pens) present a risk to our wild salmon runs that we cannot tolerate.” He also vetoed a provision allowing lawmakers to reconsider the ban if new research becomes available. The leases of the remaining fish farms, which are all owned by Cooke, expire in 2022.