PORT ANGELES – Cooke Aquaculture has lost its court challenge to have its fish farming lease reinstated in Port Angeles Harbor, effectively dashing plans to partner with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe in a new venture to raise steelhead and black cod in the facility.
The Seattle Times reports Thurston County Superior Court Judge Carol Murphy last week rejected Cooke’s lawsuit to reverse the DNR’s termination of their lease in 2017. Cooke Aquaculture Pacific said it would appeal the ruling.
Hilary Franz, state commissioner of public lands for the state DNR, called Cooke’s lawsuit “baseless” in a statement. She said Cooke had failed in its duty to uphold the terms of the lease by operating outside of its boundaries and not operating the facility in a safe condition.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife granted approval for Cooke’s steelhead plans last month at facilities where the company has valid leases, but the company still faces more permitting hurdles from the Department of Ecology and the DNR in those other operations around the Puget Sound.