Working together, we took back our sound
Over the past five years, we've been fighting together tooth and nail in the Courts, the legislature, and through direct appeals to state officials, calling for an end to the dangerous commercial net pen industry that threatens the health of Puget Sound.
Now, Washington state has finally taken bold action to prohibit commercial net pen aquaculture in Puget Sound.
Working together, we took back our sound
Over the past five years, we've been fighting together tooth and nail in the Courts, the legislature, and through direct appeals to state officials, calling for an end to the dangerous commercial net pen industry that threatens the health of Puget Sound.
Now, Washington state has finally taken bold action to prohibit commercial net pen aquaculture in Puget Sound.
a landmark Law
In 2018, a coalition of businesses, organizations, and thousands of individuals came together under the Our Sound, Our Salmon campaign to pass a landmark law banning Atlantic salmon net pen aquaculture from Puget Sound.
Piscine Reovirus (PRV)
Piscine reovirus (PRV) IN PUGET SOUND
Piscine Reovirus (PRV)
Piscine reovirus (PRV) IN PUGET SOUND
discovering a dangerous exotic virus in puget sound net pens
A 2019 study found that nearly 100% of the 300,000 Atlantic salmon that escaped during the Cypress Island collapse were infected with Piscine Reovirus (PRV), an exotic and highly-contagious virus amplified and spread by Puget Sound net pens.
Solidarity w/ B.C.
standing in solidarity with b.c.
Solidarity w/ B.C.
standing in solidarity with b.c.
wild fish recognize no international border
The Our Sound, Our Salmon coalition stands in solidarity with our neighbors in B.C. as they continue their own work to rid the Salish Sea of open water salmon farms. Recently, Canada’s Prime Minister tasked the Minister of Fisheries to move all B.C. net pens on land by 2025.
Background
What's at stake.
Background
What's at stake.
The future of Puget Sound is already precarious, and its future is getting even more uncertain due to the current political climate in our nation's capital. Federal funding for Puget Sound restoration is on the chopping block and environmental protections for clean water and endangered salmon are at risk of being eliminated. Given the potential loss of these critical restoration funds and protections, the last thing we need is to allow a destructive, loosely regulated industry to further threaten our Sound and our salmon.
Our Sound
Puget Sound is the lifeblood of our region. It's where we take our children to play and teach them about the wonders of nature. It's where businesses and families continue Washington’s rich history of nourishing ourselves with Puget Sound's salmon, shellfish, forage fish, rockfish, crabs, shrimp, and prawns. And it's home for our iconic animals like orcas, porpoises, otters, and all five species of salmon.
Despite our region’s collective reverence for the Sound, its health is deteriorating due to a number of environmental threats. Recognizing the importance of a healthy Sound, federal, tribal, state, and local governments are spending hundreds of millions of dollars every year to protect and recover the Sound. And countless organizations and volunteers are working tirelessly to ensure we have a healthy Puget Sound for ourselves, future generations, and the Sound's rich biodiversity.
With all of the great work being done and the taxpayer money being spent to recover the Sound, the last thing we need is to allow Puget Sound to become a hotbed for the destructive commercial open water net pen industry. We simply cannot afford risking the health of our Sound by putting this invaluable resource in the hands of an international industry with a long history of environmental destruction and misleading the public.
Our Salmon
Puget Sound was once home to some of the greatest Pacific salmon populations in the world. While our salmon are now only a fraction of their historic abundance, these majestic fish are still an ecological cornerstone for Puget Sound and all the salmon-bearing rivers that flow into it. Plus, these Puget Sound salmon fuel a vibrant commercial, tribal, and recreational fishery that generates tens of millions of dollars every year for Washingtonians and creates endless joy and lifelong memories for children and adults alike.
Simply put, commercial open water net pens are bad news for Pacific salmon and don’t belong in Puget Sound. Research throughout the Salish Sea has demonstrated that these net pens are a breeding ground for lethal parasites and viruses that can infect and kill wild salmon. Plus, these net pens are major polluters capable of creating environmental disasters like toxic algae blooms, which are disastrous for fish and shellfish populations.
From Norway to British Columbia to Chile, everywhere open water net pens operate, wild fish populations suffer. With our salmon populations on the brink of collapse, these commercial open water net pens have the potential to be another nail in their coffin.
We cannot afford to let this industry threaten the last vestiges of our wild salmon and harm the countless Washingtonians that rely on our salmon for jobs, sustenance, and recreation.
Take Action
TAKE ACTION
Take Action
TAKE ACTION
help Protect Puget Sound
Puget Sound is our Sound. The salmon that swim in its waters are our salmon. They have been the lifeblood of our past, and they will be the lifeblood of our future.
Please join this important fight by making a tax-deductible donation today. Thanks to your generous support, together we can ensure that our Sound, our salmon, and our children have a bright future.