Salmon net pen water quality permits

Multiple agencies are involved in making sure fish aquaculture that uses net pens in Puget Sound, meet the required laws, rules, and regulations.

We issue individual National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) water quality permits to make sure any release (discharge) of wastewater meets Washington's water quailty standards.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) regulates ecological impacts of marine aquaculture.
Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) provides state aquatic land leases.

Commercial Salmon net pens no longer have state aquatic land leases

Ecology’s partner agency, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), manages state aquatic lands. In November 2022, the DNR commissioner issued an executive policy declaring that DNR is no longer providing leases to commercial finfish net pen aquaculture. As a result, the net pens sites have been vacated. The sites are clear of all above and below water structures including anchors. DNR is currently considering rule changes to codify this policy.

What is Ecology's role now?

To ensure the sediment zone or bottom of the Puget Sound below where the net pens historically operated are returned to baseline condition, we administratively extended the NPDES permits to require the operators to perform close out monitoring and reporting. Currently the net pen operator of all the remaining sites, Cooke Aquaculture Pacific, LLC, has submitted the required Closure Monitoring and Reporting plan. Once Cooke commences the termination of their permits, they will start closure monitoring.

Permit information

Why do net pen operations need a NPDES permit?

A NPDES permit is the tool that requires best management practices, monitoring, and reporting to ensure water quality standards are met. These facilities were operated to rear fish for harvest and market sale. Uneaten fish food and fish feces are the primary pollutants produced as a result of the operation of these facilities, as well as any accidental release of fish. The requirements in the permit allow us to enforce that facilities are meeting water quality standards.

Timeline

March 2024: Remaining permits placed in administrative extended status to ensure Cooke follows permit requirements for close out.
December 2023: Ecology approves closure monitoring and reporting plan for all seven net pen sites to ensure the sediment floor has returned to baseline conditions.
July 2023: Ecology places all seven remaining net pen sites in inactive status (no fish, no discharge). There are no longer any net pen structures in the water.
March 2023: Last steelhead harvest at Clam Bay site.
November 2022: DNR announces it will not provide aquatic land leases. Cooke plans expedited harvests at Hope Island and Clam Bay site.
January 2021: Ecology issues modified permits for Cooke to raise Steelhead at the four active sites.
January 2020: WDFW approves change of species to Steelhead with conditions for the protection of native fish and wildlife.
September 2019: Cypress Island (Deepwater Bay) Site 2 permit is terminated; remaining three sites in administratively extended status (Cypress Island 1, Cypress Island 3, and Port Angeles).
July 2019: Ecology issues updated permits to four net pen facilities.
March 2018: Governor Inslee signs House Bill 2957 into law. It phases out Atlantic salmon marine net pens.
August 2017: Cypress Island (Deepwater Bay-Site 2) net pen in Skagit County failed and released Atlantic salmon into the surrounding water.
April 2017: Cooke submits applications to renew their permits for all eight of their net pen facilities.

Contact information

Laurie Niewolny
Aquaculture specialist and permit coordinator
laurie.niewolny@ecy.wa.gov
360-584-8852