Thanks for running Kurt Grinnell’s engaging and informative piece on net pen aquaculture, and I applaud the partnership the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe is undertaking with Washington Sea Grant.
But then as a fish biologist, I’m likely to be drawn to a good black cod story.
Rearing them here in our coastal waters is a much more desirable option than non-natives such as Atlantic salmon.
Mitigating impact on native populations through captive rearing programs is, as Mr. Grinnell states, at the forefront of aquaculture research (https://tinyurl.com/PDN-Aquaculture).
The illustration of the black cod (Notothenia microlepidota) heading the article is potentially troublesome, however, especially since the issue here is native vs. exotic species.
The black cod illustrated is a species that is native to waters of high latitude near New Zealand.
“Our” black cod, native to deep coastal waters of the eastern North Pacific Ocean, is more commonly referred to as the sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria).
When I taught biology, I stressed the importance of always including the scientific name in any writing assignment.
One person’s black cod may be an entirely different kettle of fish to someone else.
Mike Barton,
Sequim