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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, MARCH 5, 2018
Dead sea lion washes ashore in Cannon Beach
Researchers did a
necropsy on the sand
By BRENNA VISSER
The Daily Astorian
Brenna Visser/The Daily Astorian
Jason Hussa from the Marine Mammal Stranding Network works with Dalin D’Alessandro from
Portland State University to dissect the sea lion.
CANNON BEACH — People
watched in awe — and slight disgust —
as researchers performed a necropsy on
an adult Steller sea lion Saturday at Silver
Point Beach.
The sea lion washed up dead near Hay-
stack Rock the morning of Feb. 26 before
the city decided to move the giant marine
mammal south to a more remote section
of the beach. Stranded animals are typ-
ically dissected quickly and quietly to
avoid upsetting onlookers.
This time, Keith Chandler from the
Seaside Aquarium said they decided to
wait until the weekend so people attend-
ing the Coast Conference, a marine edu-
cation and stewardship event, could watch
for educational purposes. It so happened
Debbie Duffield, a biology professor at
Portland State University who regularly
conducts necropsies on stranded marine
mammals, was going to be in town for the
conference, as well.
Duffield and volunteers from the
Marine Mammal Stranding Network dis-
sected the 8-foot long creature for tis-
sue samples that will later be tested for
research purposes and a cause of death.
“We usually get this size of sea lion
wash up around here every 18 months
or so,” Chandler said. “If you’re into this
kind of stuff, it’s fascinating to see the
anatomy of these guys.”
As of Sunday, what was left of the sea
lion was buried in sand by the city. But for
those who were around for his short ten-
ure on the beach, Haystack Rock Aware-
ness Program director Melissa Keyser
said she hoped they learned something
valuable.
“I think there’s a great educational
opportunity here, especially as a coastal
resident,” Keyser said. “We’re all edu-
cators about marine life, and this is vital
knowledge to have as an educator.”
Washington Legislature phases out Atlantic salmon farming
By PHUONG LE
Associated Press
SEATTLE — The Wash-
ington Legislature on Fri-
day voted to phase out marine
Atlantic salmon aquaculture,
an industry that has operated
for decades in the state but
came under heavy criticism
after tens of thousands of non-
native fish escaped into water-
ways last summer.
After lengthy debate, the
state Senate passed the bill on
a 31-16 vote. The House ear-
lier passed it on 67-31 vote
and it now heads to Gov. Jay
Inslee, a Democrat who has
expressed support.
The bill would end state
leases and permits for opera-
tions that grow nonnative fin-
fish in state waters when cur-
rent leases expire in 2022.
The bill targets Canada’s
Cooke Aquaculture Pacific,
the largest producer of farmed
Atlantic salmon in the U.S.,
whose net pens in north-
west Washington collapsed in
August. Cooke currently has
two leases with the state.
State officials last month
blamed Cooke’s negligence
for failing to maintain its net
pens. They said the escape
of the salmon put the state’s
ecosystem at risk and fined
the company $332,000. Up
to 263,000 invasive Atlan-
tic salmon escaped into Puget
Sound, raising fears about
the impact to native Pacific
salmon runs.
State Sen. Kevin Ranker, a
Democrat who sponsored sim-
ilar legislation in the Senate,
said the “state ban is a strong
stance to ensure the protection
of our marine environment and
native salmon populations.”
Joel Richardson, vice pres-
ident of Cooke, said in a state-
ment that the company was
“deeply disappointed” with
the bill’s passage, the poten-
tial impact on the industry and
“more than 600 rural work-
ers and their families that rely
upon salmon farming for their
livelihoods.”
He said the company will
evaluate its operations and
investments in the state and
ensure that whatever decision
they make puts families and
workers first.
Richardson told lawmakers
last month that Cooke would
be able to seek damages under
a provision of the North Amer-
ican Free Trade Agreement if
the measure passed. He said
the bill would strip the Cana-
da-based company of its $76
million investment in the state
in an unfair way. He did not
address that issue in his state-
ment Friday.
Sen. Judy Warnick, a
Republican, said “we are
putting an industry out of
business.”
Other Republicans who
opposed the bill said it would
put people out of work, shut
down a vital industry and set a
bad precedent.
“This is the wrong action
tonight and I’m just appalled
that this is the direction we’re
going,” said Sen. Shelly Short,
a Republican.
Republicans
introduced
numerous amendments that
were rejected, including pro-
posals to allow growing native
fish or single-sex Atlantic
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salmon in net pens and a tax
incentive package to help the
industry transition to other
operations.
Atlantic salmon farming
has been in the state since the
1980s but remains controver-
sial in the Northwest, famed
for its native Pacific salmon
runs and where tens of mil-
lions of dollars are spent each
year to bring back declining
populations of wild Pacific
salmon stock.
Washington state joins
Alaska, which has banned
commercial finfish aquacul-
ture. Oregon and California do
not have commercial salmon
farming operations.
“Phasing out of industrial
ocean fish farms in Wash-
ington is a victory for our
oceans and coastal communi-
ties,” said Hallie Templeton
with Friends of the Earth in a
statement.
Cooke, based in New
Brunswick, Canada, is the
only company to farm Atlan-
tic salmon in state waters.
The company bought opera-
tions from Icicle Acquisition
Subsidiary in 2016. It was in
the process of getting per-
mits for an expanded opera-
tion near Port Angeles when
the net pens off Cypress Island
capsized.
Help us keep Downtown Seaside blooming!
Dundees Bar & Grill is donating 50% of all food
AND beverage sales (including alcohol!) to
the Downtown Flower Basket Program. Now
in it’s 23rd year, Downtown Seaside is known
for it’s lush fl ower baskets gracing it’s streets.
Sponsorships, & basket orders for private
purchase will also be available.
Flowerbasket Fundraiser
Dundees Bar & Grill • 414 Broadway Seaside
Wednesday, March 7 TH , 2018 | 5 PM to 10 PM
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