History of Salmon Marine Netpen Aquaculture in the Pacific Northwest

The history of salmon netpen aquaculture in the Pacific Northwest has not followed a smooth path and at present the industry is small compared to facilities in BC and other countries.  Hatcheries for salmon began in the Northwest in late 1800s, but netpen rearing from egg to adult was not initiated until nearly 80 years later, when in the 1970s researchers at the NMFS Manchester Field Station used the MV Brown Bear as a floating fish hatchery that released smolts into Puget Sound.  Fish were reared in nets around the ship prior to transport and release. Gradually researchers realized these netpens could be used to raise salmon to pan-sized adults on site and in the 1970s developed a pilot-scale floating netpen system.  Jon Lindbergh studied this system and formed a company (Global Systems) that sold pan-sized Pacific Salmon.  By the early 1980s, 16 different netpen operations flourished in the state.  However, a variety of issues doomed these open water operations, including poor siting, environmental and legal concerns, and the rise of large scale netpen operations in Canada, Chile, and other countries.  By 2007 only one U.S.-owned and -operated company was still active in the state.