National parks under siege from feral hogs, cats and other invasive species - New York Daily News

National parks under siege from feral hogs, cats and other invasive species - New York Daily News

National parks under siege from feral hogs, cats and other invasive species - New York Daily News

Posted: 09 Dec 2019 05:00 AM PST

"People love cats, and you can understand that," Hallac said. "And the idea, for example, of killing feral cats is very difficult for many people to accept. So therefore, sometimes it's not feasible to kill the cats, and what's feasible is to try to make them unable to reproduce through neutering programs."

Cooke settles suit with Wild Fish Conservancy - Peninsula Daily News

Posted: 09 Dec 2019 01:30 AM PST

PORT ANGELES — Cooke Aquaculture has agreed to pay $2.75 million to settle with the Wild Fish Conservancy over alleged Clean Water Act violations related to the collapse of Cooke's Cypress Island net pen.

Those funds will go to the Rose Foundation to fund environmental projects to protect wild salmon and killer whales in Puget Sound, as well as WFC's litigation expenses, according to a press release. Cooke also agreed to change its practices and address additional concerns identified in the lawsuit.

"This is truly a victory for the future of our sound," said Kurt Beardslee, executive director of Wild Fish Conservancy. "Open water net pen aquaculture is a risky business, and thanks to this settlement we are one step closer to getting this dirty industry out of Puget Sound once and for all."

Earlier this year Cooke Aquaculture, which owns a fish farm off Ediz Hook, agreed to pay a $332,000 fine for releasing 250,000 non-native fish that breached its compromised Cypress Island facility in August 2017.

Wild Fish Conservancy issued a notice of violations in August 2017, days after the Cypress Island pen collapsed and spilled Atlantic salmon infected with an exotic virus into Puget Sound.

Cooke announced in October that it was teaming up with the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe to restart its dormant fish farm in the Port Angeles Harbor. Public comment on that project closed Nov. 22.

Trial in the federal lawsuit was set to begin Dec. 2. Days before the trial, U.S. District Judge John Coughenour issued several summary judgments supporting WFC's claims.

The court found that Cooke failed to conduct required inspections of net pen moorings and anchors and that Cooke failed to accurately monitor and report the number of fish escaping form its pens.

Cooke had argued that it should not have to pay civil penalties because its pen was destroyed and no longer operates, an assertion Coughenour rejected.

"Now, it seems clear that Cypress 2 is permanently closed, but Defendant continues its operations in Puget Sound," Coughenour wrote. "Thus, civil penalties still serve to deter future Clean Water Act violations."

"We're thankful for the Judge's ruling and hope the severity of these penalties will be a deterrent to anyone seeking to expand or establish open water net pen aquaculture in Puget Sound and beyond," Beardslee said.

The agreement with Cooke requires Cooke to conduct load analysis before restocking its facilities.

It must also complete any "upgrades, modifications and/or replacements determined to be necessary to meet applicable safety standards."

Cooke is required to notify the WFC within two weeks of completion of upgrades, modifications or replacements.

The company will also create records for each inspection of the mooring system or main cage system and maintain those records for at least three years.

Of the $2.75 million settlement, $1.15 million will go to the Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment, which will be paid no later than June 30, 2022.

The remaining $1.6 million covers litigation expenses and costs, including attorney and expert fees.

________

Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at [email protected] dailynews.com.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

This fish is worth $300,000 - New York Post

This fish is worth $300,000 - New York Post This fish is worth $300,000 - New York Post Posted: 05 Jun 2016 12:00 AM PDT With exacting precision, the surgeon inserted the scalpel above the eyeball and cut out a snotty deposit of fatty tissue. The routine eye-lift was nearly complete when suddenly the patient awoke, suffocating, and began to flop about on the table. The audience gasped. Knowing time was of the essence, the surgeon scooped up the patient in his arms, raced across the stage, and dropped her into a tank of water. She revived. Because she was a fish. Yes, fish eye-lifts exist. As do fin jobs and tail tucks. The operating theater was a mall in Jakarta, Indonesia, where a pet expo was under way. As for the patient, she survived, her formerly droopy eyes now bright and perky. A good thing, too, as this was no ordinary goldfish but rather an Asian arowana, the world's most expensive aquarium denizen, rumored to sell for as mu...
Read more

Catching Dory: selling aquarium fish supports coastal livelihoods in Indonesia | npj Ocean Sustainability - Nature.com

Image
Abstract The global marine aquarium trade has created new local markets across the planet, including in Indonesia, now the second-largest exporting country of marine aquarium fish in the world. Participating in the global aquarium trade has been touted as a potentially sustainable addition to fisher livelihoods, but scant data exist showing the numbers of fish coming off the reef and how those fish contribute to income. To determine how participants in the trade incorporate aquarium species in their livelihoods, we examine source-level aquarium fish collecting and trading data in the Banggai Archipelago, a region in Central Sulawesi that has become a significant source for popular aquarium, also known as ornamental, fish species. Using a sustainable livelihoods lens, we examine this data to understand how participants in the aquarium trade both contribute to as well as benefit from the trade and consider how their participation relates to emerging Blue Justice principles. From one year...
Read more

NilocG Launches New Website for the Only All-in-One Thrive Fertilization Solution for Planted Aquariums - PRNewswire

Image
NilocG Launches New Website for the Only All-in-One Thrive Fertilization Solution for Planted Aquariums - PRNewswire NilocG Launches New Website for the Only All-in-One Thrive Fertilization Solution for Planted Aquariums - PRNewswire Posted: 11 Mar 2021 02:00 AM PST ALBANY, Ore. , March 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NilocG launches a new website for planted tank enthusiasts to gather and make THRIVE, a plant fertilizer that assures planted tank aquascapes flourish while eliminating the need for multiple products more readily available online. The company also takes it a step further in the industry, making its flagship product easy to dose, super-concentrated, and an all-in-one solution based on an effective EL dosing method with all essential micro and macronutrients. Continue Reading Thrive fertilizer: North America's most trusted aquarium plant fertilizer Colin Grice , CEO, a self-described planted tank lover, re...
Read more