Fishermen appeal approval of huge aquaculture project

摘要

Humboldt farm fight: A Norwegian company's proposed California fish farm and its annual production of 23,000 metric tons of Atlantic salmon has gained local approvals, but a commercial fishing association has joined two other groups in appealing the permitting decisions.The Nordic Aquafarms all-indoor fish farm project got unanimous approvals from the Humboldt County Planning Commission on Aug. 4, a key step in the company's permitting quest.Humboldt's planning commissioners described the project as "well-designed" and "really great," and the county's planning director told them there wasn't anything in public comment that hadn't been completely answered in the project's environmental review.But an Aug. 17 letter sent to the county's top planner and Board of Supervisors by the Humboldt Fishermen's Marketing Association, Redwood Region Audubon Society, and the 350 Humboldt carbon reduction advocacy group describes a very different project.The letter "initiates an appeal" and says the project will belch huge amounts of carbon and nitrogen, and harm a variety of species including smelt, eulachon, green sturgeon, crab, Pacific herring, salmon, steelhead, various flatfish and sole, sand lance, and plankton.The letter also warns of water temperature increases and pollution from discharge, and the risk of water intakes sucking up juvenile fish and crab.