Letters to the Editor, March 16

Sale of farm-raised salmon destabilizes fishing industry

The new Main & Vine store is a wonderful addition to our town. They promote local produce, created a beautiful open market space, offer a wide variety of health food products, and feature a number of our local fishing boats on their walls. They have embraced our maritime heritage and continue to promote their corporate brand as a “community store.”

Why then do they carry Farmed Atlantic Salmon?

This community’s fishing history runs deep. Our mantra to “buy wild” in support of our local fleet has been in place for decades because of the toxic conditions and environmental destruction that farming salmon in crowded pens creates. The problems are widely publicized; just Google it. Not only is it unhealthy, but the product destabilizes the industry by flooding the market with a cheap substitute for our native salmon. These sickly fish have to be infused with artifical red coloring just to look edible in the display counter.

If Main & Vine really values our community, ask them yourselves why they sell it. They don’t have to.

Misiurak’s appointment to board a good thing

Thank you for the thorough article on Mr. Misiurak’s appointment (Gateway, March 9) to the State Public Works Board. You speak to his excellent qualifications and certainly his ability as a contributor at the state level.

I believe it should also be noted that the small, yet extremely professional engineering organization here in Gig Harbor that he is a key member of contributed to his selection. We can be rightfully proud of the whole team.

This story was originally published March 17, 2016 at 11:39 AM with the headline "Letters to the Editor, March 16."