Environmental groups file lawsuit against Pacific Bio Products
Published 2:00 am Thursday, February 5, 2026
Lawsuit alleges Pacific Seafood’s Bio Products violated Clean Water Act
On Jan. 20, the Center for Food Safety and the Northwest Environmental Defense Center filed a lawsuit against Pacific Seafood’s Bio Products, claiming that the Warrenton facility has been engaged in over 6,000 violations of the Clean Water Act since 2022.
Pacific Bio Products in Warrenton manufactures bulk seafood products including fishmeal, shrimp and crab shell products that are used as (or in) pet food additives, livestock and aquaculture feed and fish oils. Under the Clean Water Act, groups are required to give 60 days’ notice before filing a lawsuit. The environmental groups sent the notice of intent to sue in mid-October 2025.
According to the Center for Food Safety, the Warrenton facility has engaged in at least 6,000 violations of their Clean Water Act permit.
However, according to Pacific Seafoods, parent of Pacific Bioproducts, the claims made are exaggerated, and not in alignment with the company’s commitment to the environment.
“Our Bio Oregon facility is a key part of our commitment to environmental stewardship,” said a Pacific Bio Products spokesperson in an email statement to The Astorian.
The lawsuit, filed on Jan. 20, alleges that Pacific Bio Products has violated the Clean Water Act at least 6,000 times since 2022. Some of these violations include incorrect pH levels, chlorine waste violations and failures to monitor and report the results of their outflow.
The alleged violations include exceeding daily chlorine discharge limits by up to 73,000%.
“If a corporation is touting sustainability, they need to put their money where their mouth is, and take sustainability seriously and take the law seriously,” said Kingsley McConnell, a staff attorney with the Center for Food Safety.
Pacific Seafoods said in a statement that the lawsuit, in their eyes, did not hold any water.
“This type of lawsuit is unfortunately used by a variety of environmental groups and their lawyers to extract attorney fees and excessive penalties over minor issues,” said a Pacific Bio Products spokesperson.
In the statement, they said that the over 6,000 alleged violations are based on a misunderstanding of the permit requirements. They also said that the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is aware of a handful of violations and is working with the company on mitigating them.
On Nov. 20, Oregon’s D.E.Q. sent a pre-enforcement notice to Pacific Bio Products.
“The pre-enforcement notice includes several requested corrective actions, with specific timelines, to bring the facility into compliance with its permit limits,” said Michael Loch, an O.D.E.Q. spokesperson.
The department’s timeline for Pacific Bio Products is for them to comply with regulations by Oct. 31, 2027. However, the department has not issued any formal penalties against the company since they received their permit in 2022.
For residents near the facility, McConnell said that the effects of the violations are significant.
“There are people who recreate and live in close proximity to that facility,” he said, “there are also people who rely on the Columbia River, not just for recreational purposes, but also for their livelihoods in fishing themselves,”
According to McConnell, some of the violations, like those on chlorine discharge and pH levels, have an impact on the wildlife in the region. Some of these effects include the sizes of fish, disease vulnerability and behaviors.
“The river and the Oregon estuary are already very vulnerable ecosystems,” said McConnell.
According to McConnell, the next steps will be for Pacific Bio Products to file a complaint against the Center for Food Safety and Northwest Environmental Defense Center. From there, they will go into the discovery process.
“Our top ask in this lawsuit is for the court to issue an injunction requiring Pacific (Bio Products) to comply with the permit conditions.”