Cooke Seafood has abandoned its efforts to regain leases for two steelhead trout farms in Washington state, citing delays by the state’s administration as rendering the case futile. The subsidiary, Aquaculture Pacific, has filed a motion to dismiss its appeal against the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The DNR had refused to renew leases for the farms in November 2022. Cooke had sought reinstatement of these leases, arguing that the DNR’s decision was arbitrary and punitive. Despite an injunction against the DNR issued in January 2023, Cooke claims the DNR has been uncooperative in providing necessary records for a fair appeal hearing. Cooke deems further legal action pointless without access to these records and has thus filed for dismissal of its appeal.