A “structural failure” on March 28 or 29 caused Pacific Sea Farms’ kelp-laden array — including about 100 pounds of aluminum bars and marine hardware — to drift away from the farm and sink to an irretrievable depth of 500 feet, according to an email detailing the incident.

In a message to the Department of Natural Resources five days after the incident, Mike Spranger, co-owner of Pacific Sea Farms, said he found his grow lines and the aluminum spreaders that held them in place adrift in “Dalco Passage/Commencement Bay” but the equipment “could not be retrieved due to their weight, space available on the vessel and safety considerations.”

He added: “Those lines were cut, and they immediately sank in approximately 500+’ of water … The spreader bars and accompanying hardware weighs approxim

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