Feds to study pesticides’ effect on salmon

SEATTLE – The federal government has agreed to take steps to limit how much pesticide finds its way into salmon- and steelhead-bearing streams in the Pacific Northwest and California.

The public interest law firm Earthjustice says the National Marine Fisheries Service has agreed to examine the effect of 37 common pesticides over the next four years and design measures to minimize their damage on the protected fish.

The agreement settles a lawsuit brought by fishing industry and environmental groups.

The pesticides can harm fish by causing abnormal sexual development, impairing their ability to swim and by stunting their growth.

The groups said this is the first time the fisheries service has evaluated the large-scale impacts of pesticides on salmon.