NOAA Wins Ruling on Biological Opinion Restricting Pesticides to Protect Salmon

摘要

A federal court Oct. 31 dismissed a lawsuit brought by chemical manufacturers against the NOAA Fisheries Service over a biological opinion that supported restrictions on the spraying of three common pesticides near streams containing protected Pacific salmon species (Dow AgroSciences LLC v. National Marine Fisheries Service, D. Md., No. 09-cv-824, 10/31/11). Dow AgroSciences LLC, Cheminova Inc. USA, and Makhteshim Agan of North America Inc. sued the fisheries service because of recommended restrictions on chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and malathion to prevent those organophosphate pesticides from harming any of 27 salmon species listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act.