March 3, 2025 — A Washington aquaculture nonprofit is suing the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) over its recent ban on net pen fish farming on state-owned aquatic lands in Washington.
The lawsuit, filed on Feb. 27 in Thurston County Superior Court, was brought forth by the Northwest Aquaculture Alliance. It alleges the state agency’s rulemaking process was “predetermined and inadequate,” the lawsuit states.
Net pens are large floating structures where fish or seafood are grown and have been used in the Salish Sea for four decades. In January, the DNR banned the use of commercial net pens in state waters and said the ban would help protect Puget Sound waterways.
With the ban, the lawsuit claims DNR failed to follow the Administrative Procedure Act, violated the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) and created arbitrary rules.
“DNR does not have unfettered authority to regulate aquaculture,” the lawsuit states.
Northwest Aquaculture Alliance also claims DNR’s ban harms its members by reducing or fully eliminating business opportunities.