KNKX Public Radio

A legal ruling in Washington state June 21 and an announcement by the Canadian government the same day has raised questions about the future of open water fish net pens in Washington’s waters.

In King County Superior Court, a jury ordered Cooke Aquaculture to pay damages of $595,000 to the Lummi Nation. The tribe filed suit seeking compensation for harm and expenses incurred after the company’s net pen collapsed near Cypress Island in 2017. Hundreds of thousands of Atlantic Salmon escaped into Puget Sound.

The jury concluded that Cooke’s negligence led to unjust enri...