Take immediate protective actions, such as restrictions on pesticide use near water Recent studies by the National Marine Fisheries Service, the agency charged with salmon recovery, show that pesticides may severely impact salmon survival. There are 24 salmon and steelhead runs on the Pacific coast that are considered threatened or endangered. We are determined to hold EPA's feet to the fire until the agency does what it takes to protect salmon from pesticides. Pesticides can have negative impacts on fish growth, development, behavior and reproduction. These chemicals can impair swimming ability, cause abnormal sexual development, and cause skeletal deformities.
Some pesticides are lethal to salmon, and large fish kills have occurred in the Pacific northwest.
Pesticides can also indirectly affect fish by changing the aquatic environment, by reducing the food supply, and by eliminating vegetative cover used by young salmon. Pesticides can reduce salmon's ability to transition from freshwater to seawater. Salmon and steelhead fishing was once a very valuable industry in the west coast economy. Since then, however, many salmon runs have declined because of a combination of many factors including too many dams and widespread habitat loss. All Rights Reserved.