Icicle Seafoods Case Study
Should the state of Washington allow Icicle Seafoods to establish a net-pen salmon aquaculture operation in the Straits of Juan de Fuca, just off the coast near Port Angeles?
Decision makers should be mindful and have all the information when deciding on whether to allow the Icicle seafoods to establish a net pen salmon aquaculture operations. I am going to give you some background information regarding the Salmon population in Puget sound/ Strait of Juan de Fuca and net pens, to help you make a well thought out decision.
I am going to discuss the Biology of the Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha). It is one of the major Salmon types in the Puget sound and Juan de Fuca Straits region. The chinook Salmon are the largest of the pacific …show more content…
To me this seems more like a green environmentally friendly way to harvest fish for commercial use, you will not need the electricity or gas to power a normal hatchery if the fish are in the water enclosed in the mesh netting. You will have a naturally controlled system that will not rely on power to run.
Against
1. The net pens seem to have a temporary effect on the sediment and quality of benthic life directly under the pens. This is the result of a high fish population in one area and a high release of fish poop. Studies have shown once the net is moved or removed the sediment will recover to its preconditions within 2 to 12 months depending on how large the net was and how many fish it held.
2.The current Washington state net pen management rules are over 30 years old, they have not been updated to use the new scientific findings that may be different from 30 years ago. Old recommendations that have not been updated or relooked at can cause the environment harm we are not yet aware of.
3. We are not sure of the long-term effects on the environment in which a net pen resides. If it ends up posing a threat to other species around the pens action will need to be taken. Or if the salmon inside the pens are exposed to a nonnative species or other local salmon with a virus is will spread very rapidly in the small enclosed
Decision makers should be mindful and have all the information when deciding on whether to allow the Icicle seafoods to establish a net pen salmon aquaculture operations. I am going to give you some background information regarding the Salmon population in Puget sound/ Strait of Juan de Fuca and net pens, to help you make a well thought out decision.
I am going to discuss the Biology of the Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha). It is one of the major Salmon types in the Puget sound and Juan de Fuca Straits region. The chinook Salmon are the largest of the pacific …show more content…
To me this seems more like a green environmentally friendly way to harvest fish for commercial use, you will not need the electricity or gas to power a normal hatchery if the fish are in the water enclosed in the mesh netting. You will have a naturally controlled system that will not rely on power to run.
Against
1. The net pens seem to have a temporary effect on the sediment and quality of benthic life directly under the pens. This is the result of a high fish population in one area and a high release of fish poop. Studies have shown once the net is moved or removed the sediment will recover to its preconditions within 2 to 12 months depending on how large the net was and how many fish it held.
2.The current Washington state net pen management rules are over 30 years old, they have not been updated to use the new scientific findings that may be different from 30 years ago. Old recommendations that have not been updated or relooked at can cause the environment harm we are not yet aware of.
3. We are not sure of the long-term effects on the environment in which a net pen resides. If it ends up posing a threat to other species around the pens action will need to be taken. Or if the salmon inside the pens are exposed to a nonnative species or other local salmon with a virus is will spread very rapidly in the small enclosed