| Classification | Litigation pending (allegations only — no adjudicated violation) |
| Companies | Pacific Seafood entities: Pacific Bio Products (Warrenton, OR); Dulcich, Inc. and Pacific Shellfish–Quilcene, LLC (Quilcene, WA) |
| Plaintiffs | Center for Food Safety and Northwest Environmental Defense Center, with counsel from FarmSTAND and the Law Office of Karl G. Anuta |
| Facilities | Fishmeal/rendering plant, Warrenton, Oregon; industrial shellfish hatchery, Quilcene, Washington |
| Waterways | Columbia River (Warrenton); Quilcene Bay and Hood Canal (Quilcene) |
| Filed | January 19, 2026 (Warrenton); June 2026 (Warrenton, additional suit); August 4, 2026 (Quilcene) |
| Last updated | August 17, 2026 |
What the cases are about
Conservation groups have filed three Clean Water Act citizen suits against entities of Pacific Seafood, one of the largest seafood processors on the West Coast. Because these are pending civil suits, everything below is a plaintiff allegation unless labeled otherwise — no court has adjudicated any violation.
The allegations, by facility
Warrenton, Oregon (filed January 19, 2026). The suit alleges the Pacific Bio Products plant — which renders fish waste into fishmeal and crustacean-shell products for aquaculture and livestock feed — committed at least 6,180 permit violations since April 2022, chiefly total-residual-chlorine discharges into the Columbia River, including monthly averages over 4,000% of permit limits and an August 2025 discharge alleged at over 73,000% of the daily chlorine limit. A follow-on suit over the Warrenton facility was filed in June 2026.
Quilcene, Washington (filed August 4, 2026). The suit alleges the company’s industrial shellfish hatchery withdraws roughly one million gallons per day from Quilcene Bay, heats it, and discharges wastewater back at temperatures exceeding its NPDES permit limits — into waters connected to Hood Canal, habitat for salmon and endangered-orca prey species — and repeatedly failed monitoring requirements.
Any responses Pacific Seafood files will be reported here as the company’s position. FAT will update this page as answers, motions, or any consent decree appear on the dockets.
Why FAT tracks this matter
Seafood processing and aquaculture are squarely inside FAT’s Environmental Watch scope, and Pacific Seafood’s brands reach retail seafood counters across the country. FAT is working to obtain the complaints and case numbers, track discharge-monitoring data cited in the litigation, and map which consumer-facing brands and products connect to the Warrenton and Quilcene facilities.
Sources
- Center for Food Safety — Warrenton suit announcement (Jan. 20, 2026)
- OPB — Nonprofits take Pacific Seafood subsidiary to court (Jan. 30, 2026)
- NEDC — New lawsuit over Warrenton pollution (June 2026)
- Center for Food Safety — Quilcene hatchery suit (Aug. 4, 2026)
- SeafoodSource — Pacific Seafood subsidiary sued
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