The escape of thousands of farmed salmon have prompted a state of emergency for a nearby First Nation, and environmentalists are skeptical that the eclipse is to blame for the broken nets.

Thousands of Atlantic salmon escaped their nets over the weekend when pens broke at a fish farm near Cypress Island, a facility owned by New Brunswick-based Cooke Aquaculture. 

Initially the company estimated that between 3,000 and 5,000 fish got out of the farm, but recent estimates suggest a much higher percentage of the 305,000-fish population may be swimming in open waters.

The Lummi Nation, located near Bellingham, Wash., issued a statement Thusday declaring a state of emergency as a result of the spill.

"The tribe has not received confirmation that the Atlantic salmon spill has been contained," Lummi Indian Business Council chairman Timothy Ballew II said in a statement.

"We have to assume that the invasive fish continues to spill into these waters, putting the spawning grounds for native salmon species at risk."

Lummi fishers were the first to raise awareness of the salmon escape after hauling in Atlantic salmon while looking for chinook on Sunday.

Several days later, the nation is still encouraging members to actively fish the waters through the weekend in attempt to bring in as many Atlantic salmon as possible, particularly in the areas around Bellingham Bay and the mouth of the Nooksack River.

Washington State's Department of Fish and Wildlife is urging members of the public to do the same. The fish are about 4.5 kilograms each, and there are no limitations on size or number those who catch them can bring back to shore.

Canadian officials ask anyone who catches an Atlantic salmon report it to the Atlantic Salmon Watch program at 1-800-811-6010.

When the nets broke Saturday, Cooke Aquaculture blamed high tides and currents caused by the upcoming solar eclipse.

However, experts at an environmental group that had previously protested the farm said the facility has had issues in the past. Marine affairs specialist Molly Ogren, of the group Wild Fish Conservancy, told a Seattle news station that Cooke had the same problem last month.

She told King 5 News that crews from the east coast were brought out to fix the nets.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimated tides reached a maximum height of 7.46 feet (2.27 metres) on Aug. 18, shortly after midnight, and similar heights that afternoon, early Saturday morning and afternoon, and early Sunday morning. The maximum height was 7.53 feet (2.29 metres) at 5:36 p.m. Saturday.

Strong tides are not unusual in the area, and tide tables show much higher estimated peaks at other times in the year.

Cooke said they have been growing fish in the location for more than 30 years and have not had ongoing issues. 

In a statement, the company said farm crews are on site, working to stabilize the farm and recover as many fish as possible. They did not provide an exact estimate of the number of fish lost, saying only that "several thousand" escaped following the structural failure.

"It appears that many fish are still contained within the nets. It will not be possible to confirm exact numbers of fish losses until harvesting is completed and an inventory of fish in the pens has been conducted."

The company said it has a detailed fish escape and recapture plan, but did not give specific details.

Atlantic salmon are invasive, and the species could pose a serious threat to local wild salmon populations with disease and competition for food.

The Union of BC Indian Chiefs and the First Nations Wild Salmon Alliance released a statement Thursday saying that the groups are "shocked and infuriated" by the salmon escape.

Long-time advocates of on-land aquaculture as opposed to open net farms, UBCIC and FNWSA said B.C.'s wild salmon stocks are at historic lows.

"The impact of the open-net pen fish farms continues to be overlooked and unaddressed by the governments of B.C. and Canada," the statement said.

"The aquaculture industry, with numerous sites blocking critical wild salmon migratory paths, has been definitively linked to the decline of salmon stocks worldwide and is correlated with increased levels of sea-lice, Piscine Reo-Virus (PRV) and Heart and Skeletal Muscle Inflammation (HSMI) disease in B.C."

They requested an immediate moratorium on all open net-pen fish farm applications on the west coast, and suggested officials begin steps to move farmed fish to facilities on land.

The federal NDP is also pushing for the government to force farmers to move on land.

"The record low wild salmon returns will only get worse until the Federal Liberals take meaningful action to save wild salmon, protect jobs and critical fish habitat," said Fin Donnelly, NDP critic for Fisheries and Oeans.

The BC Salmon Farmers Association said B.C. farmers have invested more than $200 million in the last few years for upgrades to ensure similar escapes won't happen in local waters. The association said an annual average of fewer than 50 fish have escaped from B.C. farms over the last five years.