By Fawn Sharp

President, Quinault Indian Nation

Most people who grow up in the Pacific Northwest, tribal and otherwise, realize that the great Northwest salmon is the iconic fish species in our rivers, lakes and ocean.

Our six species of salmonids are the Chinook, coho, pink, chum, sockeye and steelhead.

The Atlantic Salmon has its place, too. But that place is not here. It belongs in the Atlantic.

Ask people who know their fish on this side of the country which salmon they prefer and the response will predominantly be wild Pacific salmon. We have a strong preference for the flavor and fulfillment. We also think the Pacific salmon is more nutritious, safer to eat and — most importantly — it is the fish our Creator provided to us. It has been that way for thousands of years. There is great ecological and cultural benefit in listening to nature, understanding that she knows best, and working to retain and restore the gifts and system she provides.

We do live in a complex and fragile ecological system, and we all depend on that system for our health, the health of our environment, other species and livability.

But some commercial industries are trying to change that. They are raising Atlantic salmon in netpens that have been proven to be unreliable and unsafe. Some are even creating hybrids of salmon and eels to enhance growth and profitability. They don’t want the public to know about these “Frankenfish” because that would very likely impact sales.

Atlantic salmon need to be considered invasive species in the Pacific, a species that jeopardizes our native stocks. In fact, they are one of the most harmful of all aquaculture production systems. They are treated with vaccines, antibiotics and pesticides in efforts to control the disease and parasites they spread, including highly harmful sea lice.

More wild fish are used to feed farmed salmon than this form of aquaculture produces, which causes depletion of wild fish stocks rather than supplementing them. The feces and waste feed from the fish farms can have a significant impact on the ocean bottom and surrounding ecosystems, especially in shallow waters or areas that do not flush well. Regulations and management practices intended to limit farmed salmon escapes have been largely ineffective. They do escape, from every salmon farming region where they are raised. On top of that, the nets attract marine mammal predators, such as seals and sea lions, dolphins and porpoises. An untold number of those predators are killed annually by salmon farm operators, and others can become ensnared in the nets.

There was a disastrous escape of thousands of Atlantic salmon near Cypress Island in August. It led Gov. Jay Inslee to establish a temporary ban on the netpen operations until a formal investigation of their impacts can be conducted by an “incident command” team of state agencies. At that time, Quinault Nation voiced two demands: 1) The focus of the effort must include the ocean and rivers that connect with the ocean, as well as Puget Sound; 2) As co-managers of the salmon resource, affected tribal governments must be factored into and fully considered in any related decision making.

The problem is by no means excluded to Puget Sound. It is a problem in the ocean as well, and it’s not a new problem. More than a decade ago, Atlantic salmon were found in the Black River and Scatter Creek, both remote tributaries to our Chehalis River, and they have been found in the ocean, too.

We have been objecting to the open water farming of Atlantic salmon for years. The disaster near Cypress Island seems to have long last generated a strong response from the state in the form of a temporary ban. We’re glad about that. But we want the state and the public to know it’s an ongoing, serious problem, and we want the ban to be permanent.

While all this is being hashed out, we have the following advice for consumers. Know what you’re buying in your market. It if isn’t labeled, ask. If the store doesn’t know the source of the salmon, it’s a probable sign they don’t care. Either educate them or shop elsewhere. If it’s farmed, don’t buy it and tell the store to stop selling it.

Although Atlantic salmon look somewhat like Coho, there are a few ways to easily tell the difference. Atlantic salmon have large black spots on their gill covers and no spots on their tails. The upper lip on Atlantic salmon doesn’t extend past the back of their eye. Atlantic salmon have 8-12 fin rays on their anal fin, while Pacific salmon usually have more than 12.

And then, of course, there’s the taste.

If you’re an angler and you catch an Atlantic salmon, report your catch to the State Department of Fish and Wildlife. If you’re a tribal fisherman, report it to the Quinault Department of Natural Resources.

The time has come to take a stronger stand against these invaders from the Atlantic, and for all of us to do it together.

When our Creator made our prized Northwest salmon, they were perfect. It is unconscionable for corporations to think they could modify or re-create perfection.