KGMI News
CYPRESS ISLAND, Wash. – Some of the people who fish for, and protect wild salmon are calling the accidental release of 300,000 farmed salmon a disaster.
The Lummi Nation has declared a state of emergency because of the spill.
The tribe and the State Department of Fish and Wildlife are telling anglers to catch as many of the Cypress Island Atlantic salmon as possible.
But Riley Starks with commercial fishing company Lummi Island Wild said he’s not sure the fish are safe to eat.
“The last thing we heard was that they were treated for yellow mouth disease in July. We don’t know the date in July,” Starks said.
“You have to wait a minimum of 28 days for it to go through their system, and I don’t know this for a fact, but I would guess that they have to be cleared by a vet for human consumption.”
He says the ones his crews catch are not going to market.
Starks and others are lamenting and documenting the situation on Lummi Island Wild’s Facebook page.
The state and the company that operates the fish farm, Cooke Aquaculture, say the Atlantic Salmon are safe and don’t pose a threat to the environment.
Meanwhile, environmentalists and fishermen are skeptical of the company’s explanation that high tides related to the eclipse caused the pen to fail, allowing the fish to escape.