Wow, that's not good at all! Also, it seems bogus to me that the solar eclipse had anything to do with big tides, and there's no excuse to not have their equipment in a good state of repair and designed to withstand any forecast tidal currents.
Maybe the farm worker looking at the eclipse tripped on the pens and set them adrift. Not sure how else one can blame a "solar eclipse" for letting fish loose. jessshhh...“The company, Cooke Aquaculture, blamed "exceptionally high tides and currents coinciding with this week's solar eclipse" for the failure of the net pen near Cypress Island”
How can they think that this excuse will hold water?
Roger-dodger cuttle! You pegged it - the eclipse is irrelevant to water currents - but the new and full moons mean spring tides. Add to that some extra algal growth on the pens that could have been better cleaned - poor anchorage design - maybe also poor choices in both net assembly floats and location - and Bob's your Atlantic salmon...According to tide and curent predictions, bigger tides and stronger currents were experienced during the new moon in July. Poor maintenance of anchor tackle coming back to bite them, me thinks.
Strange how easy it is to forget Washington has fish farms? Never seem to hear much about them.
Yeah, if you operate in the ocean you should at the very least learn how to read a tide book. Seems even the basics are ignored.I had the same thought too. Also, it seems like this fish farm operator Cooke has had previous problems. I think fish farms need to be tank based operations on land. The ocean pens present too much risk and are prone to damage and escapement.
Please go fishing, Washington state says after farmed Atlantic salmon escape broken netAccording to tide and curent predictions, bigger tides and stronger currents were experienced during the new moon in July. Poor maintenance of anchor tackle coming back to bite them, me thinks.
I think you are right Dave - there is no chance of hybridization with Pacifics. That doesn't mean there are no concerns wrt impacts to wild stocks. PRv transmission and other related disease issues could easily happen. A "non-issue" to the fish farm proponents, maybe...