Trump-Era Permit for Offshore Fish Farm Structures Gets Blocked

The US Army Corps of Engineers’ approval of a nationwide permit for offshore fish farms cage structures was ruled unlawful by a federal court, which said the Corps’ environmental analysis was lacking.

The US District Court for the Western District of Washington struck down the agency’s approval of the Trump-era Nationwide Permit 56 on Monday, ordering no new aquaculture activities can be permitted under NWP 56 in its current form.

Judge Kymberly K. Evanson ruled the Corps’ environmental analysis was insufficient because it didn’t analyze the impact of aquaculture activities such as the use of chemicals to control sea lice, ...