Posts made in February, 2015

Pesticide Use On Shorelines Carries Heavy Risks

The following pesticides are sprayed either manually or aerially on Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor shellfish beds causing environmental and human health concerns: Carbaryl—Eradicates native ghost shrimp and could harm other benthic species. Known to adversely effect salmon. Imazapyr—Eradicates spartina. Glysophate—Eradicates spartina. A recent study* on the effects of glysophate-based herbicides states: “Pesticides may be involved in oyster summer mortality events, not necessarily as a single causative agent but as an additional stressor.” Imazamox—Eradicates Zostera japonica eelgrass, but is known to also eliminate nearby native eelgrass. Adverse...