Cooke Aquaculture is a family-owned international salmon farming and seafood company based in New Brunswick, Canada, but its operations are global. The company has seen ongoing legal battles with Chilean authorities over the siting and stocking of its salmon cages in that country’s waters. Fundación Terram has sought revocation of Cooke’s Chilean sites due to alleged overproduction and other infractions.
Cooke’s legal troubles came closer to home on Nov. 14 when the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) announced its intent to bring legal action against Cooke, alleging violations of the Clean Water Act.
According to Heather Govern, vice president for CLF’s Clean Air and Water Program, the suit accuses Cooke of polluting Maine waters.
“These enormous salmon cages are like sewage pipes to the marine environment,” says Govern in a statement released by CLF. “Their solid waste smothers plants and ocean life while disease outbreaks and sea lice threaten nearby endangered wild salmon.”
Govern contends that escaped farmed salmon can spawn with wild salmon in Maine rivers, permanently alter the unique genomes of individual salmon runs.
The lawsuit has support from a number of local organizations such as the Downeast Salmon Federation (DSF). “New evidence documenting Cooke’s chronic violations further illustrates Cooke’s ongoing pattern of disregard for the laws of this state,” says Dwayne Shaw, executive director of DSF. “If Cooke wants to operate in Maine, they should start playing by the rules or be hit with larger fines that finally get their attention.”
Beals Island lobsterman Jason Falkingham, has also spoken out about Cooke. “I have had nothing but trouble with them,” says Falkingham. “They come in with their sea lice boat and cut off traps. I’ve lost $5,000 worth of gear, another fisherman here, Raymond Alley, has lost upwards of that, and there’s more around here that lost gear besides us. Not to mention all the fish parts and trash we find floating around from the pens. Their public relations person came down here, a nice woman. She promised we’d get reimbursed for our gear. We’ve been waiting a year, and what do we hear? Crickets.”
Other Maine residents are more benign. “I think they need to be policed,” says Tim Sheehan, who collects scientific specimens from Cobscook Bay. “But I don’t want to put them out of business. We need the jobs they provide for the communities around here.”
Cooke Aquaculture USA, Inc. responded to the allegations with a press release of its own. “Cooke vehemently denies the generalized allegations brought forth by the Conservation Law Foundation in its November 14 notice of intent to file suit,” says the company’s statement. “Allegations that Cooke is violating the Clean Water Act and Maine Pollutant Discharge Elimination System General Permit for Net Pen Aquaculture are false, misleading and lack any substantiating evidence.”
Undeterred, CLF is pursuing the lawsuit. “To comply with the law, Cooke will need to hire more employees and experts to increase its monitoring and inspections, properly maintain and clean its equipment, and mitigate the impact on the environment,” says Govern.
