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 effects on other aquatic vegetation are not documented at this time.
• Imidacloprid—Eradicates native ghost shrimp and could harm other benthic species. Linked to bee colony collapse disorder and subject of bans in other countries and states.

*Aquat Toxicol. 2013 Mar 15;128-129:67-78. doi: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2012.12.002. Epub 2012 Dec 10.
Effects of glyphosate-based herbicides on embryo-larval development and metamorphosis in the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas.
Mottier A1, Kientz-Bouchart V, Serpentini A, Lebel JM, Jha AN, Costil K.

Photo of Willapa Bay used on homepage slide—Sam Beebe/ Ecotrust, December 31, 2007