Processors warn Westport shrimp season paused after Ecology draft permit changes

Pacific Seafood told the Washington Coastal Marine Advisory Council on March 18 that a draft wastewater permit from the Department of Ecology would exclude roughly half of the company's Westport production from the calculations used to set new permit limits. Amy Wentworth, Pacific Seafood’s senior director of EHS and fisheries policy, said the agency’s reinterpretation sharply reduced allowable discharge limits and “constrains our future production and lacks a clear path to support economic growth.”

The company announced it will “hibernate” shrimp processing for the upcoming shrimp season to install upstream pollution‑prevention upgrades intended to reduce shrimp protein in wastewater and avoid a midseason shutdown. “The pollution prevention upstream is better than spending millions downstream,” Wentworth said, adding that upgrades produce excess sludge and require expensive long‑haul disposal if treatment is used as the primary fix.

Why it matters: Westport is one of the state's largest fishing and processing hubs. Local speakers said temporary closure or constrained processing capacity risks lost revenue across the region—Dungeness crab and pink shrimp fisheries together account for tens of millions in ex‑vessel value. Bridal Blake, president of a coastal fisheries coalition, said the closure “is gonna affect fishing families” and urged cooperative solutions.

Ecology responded at the meeting that the draft permit language is grounded in long‑standing Clean Water Act requirements and that the agency is open to engagement. An Ecology representative (Bobick) told the council the substantive requirements have not changed and that the open public comment period is the appropriate forum for technical feedback; he also noted the permit would not immediately go into effect and that additional time remains in the administrative process.

Industry next steps and WICMAC role: Pacific Seafood said it will file technical comments before the close of the public comment period and seeks a leadership meeting with Ecology to resolve factual and regulatory inconsistencies. Industry and local leaders asked WICMAC and its Economic Resilience Committee to gather technical information, distinguish company‑specific issues from systemic permitting policy, and coordinate outreach to the governor’s office and congressional delegation. The council agreed to route initial technical review to its Economic Resilience Committee and flagged the issue for more substantial discussion at the June 3 meeting in Forks.

Quotes: “Excluding that volume dramatically reduced our allowable limits,” Amy Wentworth said, explaining the company’s decision to accelerate plant upgrades. “This closure is gonna affect fishing families,” Bridal Blake said during public comment.

What’s next: Pacific Seafood is submitting technical comments to Ecology. WICMAC staff and members said they will pursue further technical briefings and consider coordinated outreach to state and federal leaders. The council also encouraged use of the Economic Resilience Committee as the first venue for detailed stakeholder discussion.

Authorities and context: Ecology staff repeatedly referenced the Clean Water Act as the statutory framework for permit requirements. The council did not vote on a formal position but agreed to pursue more technical briefing and possible coordinated outreach.