UW professor: Data doesn’t support company’s claim of what caused salmon spill

The Lummi Nation declared a state of emergency Thursday after an Atlantic salmon spill left more than 300,000 foreign fish swimming the Salish Sea.

“The tribe has not received confirmation that the Atlantic salmon spill has been contained, so we have to assume that the invasive fish continues to spill into these waters, putting the spawning grounds for native salmon species at risk,” Timothy Ballew II, chairman of the Lummi Indian Business Council, said in a statement.

Lummi is encouraging its tribal fishermen to continue fishing the waters through the weekend in efforts to remove as many Atlantic salmon as possible.

Meanwhile, Seattle chef Tom Douglas may have been on to something when he questioned what actually destroyed the fish farm.

The incident that occurred near Bellingham was larger than initially reported. The solar eclipse was originally blamed.

“They’ve known for — I’d guess — 38 years that the eclipse was coming,” Douglas told KIRO Radio. “They can tell you when the sun was going to be blocked out and when the tides are going to come. So that’s nonsense. They should have been prepared.”

The Seattle Times reports that it all began with one net pen breaking down on Saturday, but then on Sunday, the entire salmon farm came apart.

Parker MacCready, an oceanographer at the University of Washington, said the tide data doesn’t support the company’s claim. Tides were higher during the summer solstice than during the eclipse.

A Cooke Aquaculture spokesperson told the Times they are in “salvage mode.”

The number of Atlantic salmon released into the water could grow.

The Washington State Department Fish and Wildlife is investigating the breach.

KIRO 7 contributed to this report.