Oregon seafood company presses charges over hagfish deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)—An Oregon seafood company is suing a fisherman who it says caused a power outage that resulted in the deaths of thousands of pounds of hagfish.

KATU-TV reported AA Seafood in Depoe Bay is seeking $49,000 in damages from the fisherman, claiming his boat struck a power line when he was pulling it out of the water in September 2016.

According to the lawsuit filed in Lincoln County, electricity went out at the company’s facility for about six hours, cutting power to equipment that circulated water and controlled temperatures in fish tanks.

The tanks held about 16,400 pounds (7,400 kilograms) of hagfish, also known as slime eels. According to the suit, most of the hagfish died because of lacking power to the tank equipment.