Fish Farm Holding 300,000 Atlantic Salmon Collapses Due to Solar Eclipse?
OutdoorHub Reporters 08.23.17
A fish farm holding more than 300,000 farmed Atlantic salmon in the San Juan Islands of Washington collapsed recently, and the company says the solar eclipse is to blame.
According to KIRO7, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife reports somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 fish escaped the broken down pen off Cypress Island on Saturday when damage was first reported.
The owner of the farm, Cooke Aquaculture Pacific, reportedly said the farm completely collapsed on Sunday, and that most of the fish were still trapped inside the structure. Apparently, an anchor gave way due to unusually strong tides and currents, and the company says those were brought on by the solar eclipse.
It’s worth noting here, that both the company and state wildlife officials don’t expect disease to be an issue with the fish that escaped. The biggest concern is that competition for food will go up between the wild Pacific salmon and the farm-raised Atlantic salmon, and the wild salmon are already struggling in that aspect.
So, state officials are calling on all anglers to help catch and keep as many of the escaped Atlantic salmon as they can, which weigh between 8-10 pounds each.
The state also made note there is no size or catch limit for Atlantic salmon.
