20 May 2026, Washington: Center for Food Safety (CFS) today announced its intent to sue two companies—Dulcich, Incorporated and Pacific Shellfish—Quilcene, LLC (together, “Pacific Seafood”)—for alleged violations of the Clean Water Act (CWA) at an industrial shellfish hatchery in Washington State. The hatchery is located on Quilcene Bay on Washington’s Hood Canal, a popular spot for recreation and home to several threatened and endangered species, such as Orca whales and coho salmon, which could be impacted by this pollution.
Pacific Seafood produces significant amounts of shellfish seed for large-scale industrial shellfish production in Washington. CFS believes the facility draws water from Quilcene Bay—often more than a million gallons per day—and that it heats the water to promote algae and larvae growth before discharging back into the Bay. As set forth in the notice letter, CFS alleges the facility has repeatedly violated its CWA permit by discharging wastewater and heat in excess of numeric effluent limits, potentially causing significant harm to aquatic species in the surrounding area. The notice letter further alleges that the facility has been violating other permit conditions, such as monitoring conditions, demonstrating flagrant disregard and noncompliance with CWA requirements designed to protect Washington’s sensitive coastal habitats.
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“We believe pollution from Pacific Seafood’s industrial shellfish hatchery is degrading sensitive aquatic habitat and adding to the compounding effects of industrial shellfish aquaculture in Quilcene Bay,” said Kristina Sinclair, staff attorney for CFS. “We intend to hold this operation accountable under the Clean Water Act for its permit violations and for any adverse impacts on water quality, local communities, and the aquatic species that depend on a healthy ecosystem.”
Shellfish monocultures can lead to reduced biodiversity, altered and endangered marine ecosystems via consumption of nutrients and attraction of predators, introduction of non-native species and disease, and biological and chemical pollution. Industrial shellfish aquaculture in Washington already occupies a massive footprint. Between 38,700 and 50,000 acres of tidelands (nearly a quarter of all tidelands in the state) are used for commercial operations, including in Puget Sound, Willapa Bay, Hood Canal, and Grays Harbor. While Washington’s industrial shellfish sector generates more than $150 million in annual revenue, CFS believes this comes at great cost to salmon habitat, water quality, migratory birds, and endangered marine species.
Pacific Seafood and its subsidiaries are a leading market force in industrial aquaculture that CFS believes have been polluting Washington’s sensitive coastal waters for years across multiple facilities, despite public claims about the sustainability of their practices. CFS is currently challenging another Pacific Seafood facility which manufactures feed for aquaculture operations, as well as three polluting Pacific Seafood netpen aquaculture facilities on the Columbia River for separate alleged CWA violations.
Citizens and groups suing under the Clean Water Act are required to give sixty days’ notice before filing a lawsuit to enforce the public’s right to clean water. CFS is representing itself, and is also represented by Kampmeier & Knutsen, PLLC.
CFS is one of the only national environmental groups working to limit the impacts of harmful industrial shellfish aquaculture operations. In 2019, we secured a ruling protecting Washington’s iconic coastlines from expanding industrial shellfish aquaculture. This action is part of CFS’s broader campaign to ensure that the expansion of industrial aquaculture doesn’t come at the cost of ecological integrity, tribal sovereignty, or the public’s right to clean and accessible shorelines, as well as to ensure the public’s access to clean water is protected and preserved.
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