Fish

Pesticides Used in Farmed Fish Operations Threaten Health of Swimmers (Beyond Pesticides, May 6, 2022) A December 2021 report commissioned by the trade group Salmon Scotland concludes that the use of pesticide products by the nation’s salmon farms represents potential risk to “wild” swimmers (those who swim in open ocean waters). The report’s primary finding is that the use of insecticide products containing azamethiphos (an organophosphate), deltamethrin, and hydrogen peroxide to control sea lice in farmed fish contaminates sea water and, thus, threatens swimmers in the areas around the farms. SNAP Comment; The David Suzuki Foundation has been fighting fish farms because of their sea lice contamination of wild salmon stock for a long time. I have not heard many discussions of water contamination from the pesticides used to treat sea lice but it cannot help but creating contamination. As of June 2022, the PMRA lists 2 azamethiphos insecticides (one for fish farms), 17 deltamethrin and 33 hydrogen peroxide insecticides registered. I don't know if anyone swims around fish farms in Canada but it is good to know as it likely affects the whole ecosystem.

Neonicotinoid Insecticides Deprive Fish of Food in Lake Shinji, Japan (Beyond Pesticides, November 6, 2019) '90% drop in their (fish) yield. Eel catches dropped by 74%. New research, published in the journal Science, implicates the introduction of neonicotinoids to the abutting watershed in the decimation of these aquatic populations, stating, “In Lake Shinji, neonicotinoids indirectly reduced fishery yields by decreasing the abundance of invertebrates that serve as food for smelt and eels.” see also Controversial Pesticides Are Suspected Of Starving Fish ( Ron Charles, PBS, November 2, 2019) Japanese story about neonicotinoids. The only fish thriving in the lake eats algae as well as invertebrates. Indirect effects.