Last week, when the controversy finally peaked regarding the decision by both the Washington State Department of Ecology and oyster growers in Willapa decided to spray a chemical that has been linked to Colony Collapse Disorder, a reader took me to task for not covering it. Be assured I was working on an article but when the mainstream news gets a hold of a big controversy, as this was, they are way ahead of me on reporting it. I contacted folks I knew at Taylor, and WSU, but by the time I got responses, the bigger story, that buyers and consumers were already in an uproar over this, had moved beyond just press statements by media flacks.
Here’s the first hint that things were moving fast.
Plan to put neurotoxin on oyster beds distresses restaurants
A plan to spray pesticide over the sizable oyster beds at Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor is raising concerns with chefs and their diners. Renee Erickson was on the phone to her oyster suppliers as soon as she heard the news about Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor. As chef/owner of several Seattle restaurants, including renowned oyster bar The Walrus and The Carpenter, the region’s famous bivalves are her bread and butter, so she was “horrified” by a newly approved plan to spray some Washington oyster beds with imidacloprid, a neurotoxic pesticide, starting as soon as low tide on May 17. Bethany Jean Clement reports. (Seattle Times)
and finally this…
Pesticide spray plan for Willapa Bay oyster beds canceled after public expresses concerns
The department reported hearing from residents across Washington state that the practice did not meet their expectations.
The pesticides were supposed to control burrowing shrimp in the oyster beds. The shrimp burrow into the shellfish beds, making the ground too soft for oysters, causing them to suffocate.
“We believe we have no choice but to withdraw our permit and address these issues to the satisfaction of our customer base, and the public,” said Don Gillies, president of the WGHOGA, in the letter requesting withdrawal of the permit……
— The Associated Press