Covington, WA—The Northwest Aquaculture Alliance has announced its “Lifetime Achievement Award” winners for 2023. Sharing the honors this year are two Pacific Northwest aquaculture industry veterans from Cooke Aquaculture Pacific: Kevin J. Bright and Randy E. Hodgin.  In addition, NWAA named the CAP leadership team of Tom Glaspie, Brett Raemer, Doug Simms, and Nichole Robinson as “Aquaculture Champions”—a new award that recognizes those “unsung heroes who work tirelessly in caring for the fish, the environment, their colleagues, and the industry,” said NWAA President and Jamestown Seafoo ..read more

Olympia, Washington – During the October 20, 2023, Summary Judgment Hearing in the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe-Northwest Aquaculture Alliance’s (NWAA) complaint against the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Thurston County Superior Court Judge Indu Thomas ruled that DNR’s so-called “net pen ban” (Commissioner’s Order 202211) is nothing more than an internal directive to begin the rulemaking process regarding commercial net pens in state aquatic lands. This decision essentially declares that the “ban” on commercial net pens that Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz touted in her ..read more

May 23, 2023–Today, a handful of supporters of Public Lands Commissioner-turned-Gubernatorial candidate, Hilary Franz, gathered on Bainbridge Island to “Celebrate the Removal of Puget Sound’s net pens” alongside the 501c3 nonprofit organization, the Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC). The Northwest Aquaculture Alliance (NWAA), which represents aquaculture producers and support businesses in the Pacific Region of Hawaii, Oregon, Idaho, Washington, and Alaska, finds it shameful and appalling that a candidate for a high office in this state would choose to “celebrate” both the loss of an industry and pe ..read more

BREAKING NEWS – May 19, 2023 Covington, Washington—The Northwest Aquaculture Alliance (NWAA), with the steadfast support of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, today won the right to intervene on behalf its members in the Tribe’s lawsuit against the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Hilary Franz, the Washington Commissioner of Public Lands challenging the order shutting down fish farming in Washington. In a hearing in Thurston County Superior Court, The Honorable Judge Indu Thomas rejected the argument from DNR that the Commissioner’s Order banning commercial net pens had no impa ..read more

By W. Ron Allen – Special to the Seattle Times August 30, 2023 As chairman/CEO of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, I must correct the record about the environmental viability and respectful use of fish farming in the Salish Sea. Reading the Op-Ed published Aug. 23 by Carl Wassilie reminds me of Socrates, who said, “It is better to change an opinion than persist in a wrong one.” We are at a moment in human history when fact and science must shape our opinions on how we sustain humanity while fighting the climate crisis that threatens our very existence. Science tells us ocean farming of ..read more

In a new campaign launched on March 16, Washington fish farming workers, who have grown affordable, high-quality fish in Puget Sound for over 40 years, are speaking out for the first time to expose the pain they and their families have endured as the result of DNR Commissioner Hilary Franz’s unilateral and unscientific decision to ban fish farming in state waters. “Franz’s blatantly political action last November not only forced fish farmers out of work, but also ended the availability of affordable, nutritious, sustainable, and locally farmed fish for Washington consumers,” said Jeanne McKnig ..read more

Covington, WA—The Northwest Aquaculture Alliance (NWAA) today announced that Claudio R. Cerda has joined its 14-person Board of Directors. Cerda currently serves as General Manager of  Bonney Lake, Washington-based Troutlodge, the world’s leading producer of eyed trout eggs. At Troutlodge, he leads a 60-person team, and has plans “to bring Troutlodge to version 2.0.” Troutlodge is a division of Hendrix-Genetics, a global leader in animal breeding, technology, and genetics. NWAA President and CEO of Jamestown Seafood, Jim Parsons, described Cerda as “a visionary leader who will bring ..read more

Just four days after she announced that she would not renew Cooke Aquaculture’s fish farming leases, Washington state Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz held a press conference where, flanked by her anti-aquaculture supporters from the Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC), she declared an end to the proud 40-year tradition of fish farming in Puget Sound. In response, the Northwest Aquaculture Alliance, joined by several other leading seafood trade associations—the National Fisheries Institute, National Aquaculture Association, Global Seafood Alliance, California Aquaculture Association, and the US ..read more

On December 7, a group of leading national and state trade associations sent a letter to Washington Public Lands Commissioner, Hilary Franz, denouncing her political decision to terminate the leases of one of our valued members, Cooke Aquaculture Pacific, and–taking it one step further–ending commercial marine net pen fish farming in the state. Forever. The text of the letter, with signatories, follows: Dear Commissioner. Franz: We, the undersigned, wish to express our collective concern regarding Commissioner’s Order #202211, dated November 17, 2022, directing Department of Natural Resources ..read more

Gig Harbor, WA--The Kurt Grinnell Aquaculture Scholarship Foundation (KGASF) today announced that it has awarded its first-ever aquaculture scholarships to three students—two representing US Tribes and one representing one of Canada’s First Nations. Each scholar will receive US $5,000 to pursue degrees in aquaculture, marine biology, and fisheries and wildlife science. Established to honor the legacy of the late Kurt Grinnell, a Native American leader from the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe in Washington State, who saw aquaculture as a solution to Tribal food security, the KGASF provides financial ..read more