Years ago, I was also opposed to Private fish farming. One of the main reasons why I was so opposed was because the guy that was doing it was getting a "free ride" from the state at the cost of our limited natural resources.

By that, I mean that the fish farmer was being allowed to use large amounts of water from the "Tilton River" (free) to run his private fish farm. That same water was being highly degraded, and then being dumped right back into the "Tilton River". He was "supposedly" to mitigate for this "free use" and degrading of our "public waters" by building a "mitigation channel" that was supposed to provide protection plus additional over wintering "habitat" for juvenile fish. He also was "permitted" to build a "low head dam" (about 3 feet above the summer time low height) all the way across the Tilton River. The low head dam was to assure that his hatchery intake would always stable and that he would be assured that he would have plenty of fresh clean water available for his farm and that the river would not be able to change its channel and leave him dry (can you believe that?). After years of fighting the Friends of the Cowlitz and their objections, the fish farmer was allowed to complete his project by the WDFW and WDOE.

Because of the stink that the farmer's attorneys had put, both WDOE and WDFW caved in, and he was finally allowed to construct his proposed low head dam and mitigated "poop channel". The Farmer was finally forced to construct a fish ladder that had to be approved by both NMFS and WDFW. Originally, he had only intended to use his own "unauthorized design" custom made design (like how cheap can I make it!) to pass fish upstream.

The "Big joke" about his "side channel" mitigation; was that it was also his "poop and discharge channel" from his 12 rearing and 2 settling ponds. There was (and still is) no question in my mind (and even a few other WDFW and NMFS staff) that the farmer had bought off someone really big at that time (1992) in WDFW. In fact, WDFW's own records strongly indicate and suggested the same!

I do believe that fish farming is going to put the "commercials boys" out of business in the very near future, and that will be a "good thing" for both the natural spawning fish and yes, those dreaded mixed hatchery stocks too! My personal experience of dealing with fish farmers and fish farms has taught me plenty about fish farming and the many "short falls" that may come by doing it. But between the two (commercial netters or fish farmers) I will take the fish farmers!

Here's one more for you; many of you don't even know or realize that there are cureently no less then 2 active "Atlantic Salmon" fish farms that are currently operating on tributaries draining into the Cowlitz. One is about 10 years old and is located on a small little stream called "Cinerbar Cr", and the other is about 8 years old and is located on a major tributary to the Cowlitz, and is called the "Tilton River".

As far as I know, "Atlantic Salmon smolts" have been escaping from these facilities and have been captured every single year since 1992 at the smolts collection faculties which is located at the Mayfield Dam. In 1992, the numbers of "Atlantic Salmon smolts" were about 8 smolts a year then. The last time I was able to see any of WDFW trapping records at Mayfield Dam, (about 4 years ago) over 300 Atlantic smolts were then being caught yearly. How many of those smolts are not being captured and pass thought the Mayfield "fish friendly" turbines is anyone's guest!

To date WDFW has done nothing that I am aware of to locate or "STOP" the source of where these Atlantic's are coming from. Even the most "dumbest WDFW employee around" could have figure out where they were coming from…you would have thought!

What long term damages will be done by these escaped exotic fish and their disease problems that "this fish farm" and his "mitigated poop channel" is not yet known, but as others have already stated, there is plenty to be concerned about when it comes to any "exotic" that escapes into the wild.

So fish farming can be, and is, both good and bad, depending on where they are located, and what damages they may be doing to our "natural stocks" of fish if they are continued to be allowed to escape. Don't be too surprised if someday in the very near future you catch a "funny looking" Chinook on the Cowlitz or Mayfield lake someday soon!