Rare win for Pacific salmonoid aquaculture.
In a press release, the Washington Department of Ecology writes that it has revised four water quality permits to allow sterile, all-female steelhead instead of Atlantic salmon, in Puget Sound net pens, in the state of Washington.
The permit revisions are part of the multi-agency permitting process Cooke Aquaculture went through to change the type of fish it raises in four Puget Sound net pens from non-native Atlantic salmon to native steelhead, also known as rainbow trout. The facilities are located near Bainbridge Island and La Conner.
All net pens operated by Cooke are currently empty, with Atlantic salmon harvest completed in October last year.
