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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018
Washington oyster growers criticize Ecology’s ‘politics’
By DON JENKINS
Capital Press
Washington state oys-
ter growers denounced the
state Department of Ecology
for denying them permission
Monday to spray a pesticide at
Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor
to kill burrowing shrimp.
The denial prevents 12
growers from applying the
only effective means of remov-
ing a pest that plows up shell-
fish beds and causes oysters to
sink and suffocate.
The growers charged
Ecology with being driven
by public hostility to spray-
ing, rather than science. Ecol-
ogy maintained it was guided
by the potential harm to other
creatures.
“We based our decision off
the scientific data we have,”
Ecology spokeswoman Jes-
sica Payne said. “This pesti-
cide was too risky to be used.”
Ecology’s stance reverses a
Don Jenkins/Capital Press
Washington state oyster farmers inspect shellfish beds in
Willapa Bay in 2015.
decision it made in 2015 to let
growers spray imidacloprid, a
neonicotinoid pesticide widely
used on land crops. Ecology
initially defended the spraying
as ecologically sound. How-
ever, consumer, activist and
media disapproval pressured
growers and Ecology into
backing off.
Growers scaled back plans,
proposing to spray 500 acres
instead of 2,000 acres, and
reapplied for a permit in 2016.
Ecology reported receiving
more than 8,000 comments on
the application. On Monday,
it announced that it was deny-
ing the permit and cited new
research for its change of view.
Washington State Uni-
versity scientist Kim Patten,
who has researched eradicat-
ing burrowing shrimp in Wil-
lapa Bay and Grays Harbor for
many years, disputed Ecolo-
gy’s assertion. Patten, based
in Long Beach, said little new
has emerged since 2015.
“I’m disappointed that poli-
tics got in the way of science,”
Patten said. “It’s politics
because spraying chemicals
in Willapa Bay is not a popu-
lar sentiment. It doesn’t sound
good.”
Willapa Bay and Grays
Harbor shellfish farmers grow
about 25 percent of the oys-
ters harvested in the U.S. Left
unchecked, the shrimp will
reduce the harvest by 10 per-
cent a year, Patten estimated.
The Daily Astorian
The Hawaiian Chieftain, a
tall ship originally scheduled
to visit Astoria from Friday
through Tuesday, will not be
docking here after all.
Citing possibly dangerous
sailing conditions, Zachary
Stocks, program development
officer of Grays Harbor His-
torical Seaport, announced that
the Chieftain will have to skip
its visit to Astoria.
“The weather in Northern
The Daily Astorian
Astoria, Warrenton to add new police officers
ethics, cultural diversity, problem solving,
community policing, elder abuse and drug
recognition,
Officers Levi Winfrey and Andrew Mur-
ray will soon join Astoria police. In Warren-
ton, Officers Christopher Beem and Sheridan
Crutcher will join the department.
Astoria Police Chief Geoff Spalding will
be the keynote speaker. The ceremony begins
at 11 a.m.
FIVE-DAY FORECAST FOR ASTORIA
TONIGHT
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
51
44
40
Considerable cloudiness
with showers
Rather cloudy and cool
with a little rain
ALMANAC
Portland
42/52
Rain
First
Apr 22
Coos Bay
42/51
Last
Apr 29
Source: Jim Todd, OMSI
TOMORROW'S TIDES
Astoria / Port Docks
Time
5:50 a.m.
6:11 p.m.
Low
2.2 ft.
0.7 ft.
The council’s recommen-
dations will be forwarded to
NOAA Fisheries for approval.
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife
Commission will be asked to
adopt matching rules for state
waters at a meeting in Astoria
in April.
DEATH
April 10, 2018
DONALDSON, Russell Eugene, 67, of Astoria, died in Astoria. Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mor-
tuary of Astoria is in charge of the arrangements.
MEMORIALS
Saturday, April 14
HEROLD, Mabel Mathilda
Kandoll — Celebration of life at
1 p.m., International Longshore
and Warehouse Union Hall, 491
Industry St.
MARCHAND, Albert Pierre
Jr. — Celebration of life from
2 to 4 p.m., Columbia Pacific
Heritage Museum, 115 Lake
St. S.E., in Ilwaco, Washington.
Refreshments will be served.
WEDNESDAY
Clatsop County Board of Commissioners, 6
p.m., Judge Guy Boyington Building, 857 Com-
mercial St.
Astoria School Board, 6:15 p.m., study session,
7:30 p.m., regular meeting, Capt. Robert Gray
School third-floor boardroom, 785 Alameda Ave.
Warrenton-Hammond School District Budget
Committee, 6 p.m., Warrenton High School
library, 1700 S. Main Ave.
Wickiup Water District Board, 6:30 p.m., 92648
Svensen Market Road, Svensen.
THURSDAY
Seaside Convention Center Commission, 5
p.m., 415 First Avenue.
Cannon Beach Academy, 5:30 p.m. 3718 S. Hem-
lock St., Cannon Beach.
Gearhart Planning Commission, 6 p.m., 698
Pacific Way, Gearhart.
LOTTERIES
Tuesday’s Lucky Lines: 03-08-
11-15-20-22-28-29
Estimated jackpot: $10,000
Tuesday’s Mega Millions:
5-13-31-43-53, Mega Ball: 20
Estimated jackpot: $55 million
OREGON
Tuesday’s Pick 4:
1 p.m.: 3-7-1-9
4 p.m.: 3-3-4-2
7 p.m.: 9-5-0-4
10 p.m.: 6-5-0-6
Lakeview
25/40
REGIONAL CITIES
City
Baker City
Bend
Brookings
Eugene
Ilwaco
Klamath Falls
Medford
Newberg
Newport
North Bend
Hi
58
53
52
50
49
50
57
50
49
51
Today
Lo W
35 sh
30
r
40
r
37
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43
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24
r
36
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39
r
41
r
42
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Hi
49
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50
50
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Thu.
Lo
28
30
43
40
46
25
37
42
44
44
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pc
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sn
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City
Olympia
Pendleton
Portland
Roseburg
Salem
Seaside
Spokane
Springfi eld
Vancouver
Yakima
Hi
49
62
52
55
51
50
55
51
50
58
Today
Lo
37
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42
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40
42
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Thu.
Lo W
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36 pc
44
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32
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TOMORROW'S NATIONAL WEATHER
NATIONAL CITIES
Hi
69
46
61
76
69
58
94
47
81
62
79
90
75
71
83
69
75
52
80
54
74
69
61
53
60
Baker
35/49
Burns
27/45
Ashland
35/49
Sport salmon fishermen
could be able to fish in the
ocean off the Columbia River
from June 23 through Labor
Day.
The Pacific Fishery Man-
agement Council made the
recommendation Tuesday at a
meeting in Portland.
Meanwhile,
commer-
cial troll fishing for Chinook
would be open intermittently
along the Oregon Coast from
May through the summer.
WASHINGTON
Tuesday’s Daily Game: 5-1-2
Tuesday’s Keno: 01-04-09-11-
13-15-16-17-19-20-25-33-39-
41-48-49-59-62-69-73
Tuesday’s Match 4: 09-12-16-24
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2018
Tonight's Sky: Both Saturn and Mars rise around 2
a.m. On May 1st, rises around 12:30 a.m.
Today
Lo
48
36
52
45
46
45
68
25
74
51
52
60
55
54
68
51
56
44
58
42
55
49
50
41
47
La Grande
34/46
Ontario
42/55
Klamath Falls
24/42
maritime life. The ship’s crew
comes dressed in period attire.
“We’re sorry that we could
not be here for our sched-
uled sails and education pro-
grams,” Stocks wrote, adding
that Grays Harbor Historical
Seaport, a Washington-based
nonprofit, may reschedule the
Chieftain’s visit for fall.
A story on page 2 of Thurs-
day’s Coast Weekend pre-
viewing the ship’s arrival was
finalized before news of the
cancellation came.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
Roseburg
39/52
Brookings
40/51
May 7
John Day
32/44
Bend
30/46
Medford
36/51
UNDER THE SKY
High
7.5 ft.
Prineville
30/49
Lebanon
39/50
Eugene
37/49
Full
Pendleton
38/52
The Dalles
40/57
Salem
40/52
Newport
41/50
SUN AND MOON
City
Atlanta
Boston
Chicago
Denver
Des Moines
Detroit
El Paso
Fairbanks
Honolulu
Indianapolis
Kansas City
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Memphis
Miami
Nashville
New Orleans
New York
Oklahoma City
Philadelphia
St. Louis
Salt Lake City
San Francisco
Seattle
Washington, DC
Breezy with periods
of rain
Tillamook
40/50
Sunset tonight ........................... 7:57 p.m.
Sunrise Thursday ........................ 6:35 a.m.
Moonrise today ........................... 4:54 a.m.
Moonset today ........................... 3:21 p.m.
Time
11:40 a.m.
none
Breezy with periods
of rain
51
39
Shown is tomorrow's weather. Temperatures are tonight's lows and tomorrow's highs.
ASTORIA
40/51
Precipitation
Tuesday ............................................ 0.32"
Month to date ................................... 3.10"
Normal month to date ....................... 1.98"
Year to date .................................... 26.33"
Normal year to date ........................ 26.82"
Apr 15
SUNDAY
53
42
REGIONAL WEATHER
Astoria through Tuesday.
Temperatures
High/low ....................................... 61°/47°
Normal high/low ........................... 56°/40°
Record high ............................ 77° in 2004
Record low ............................. 31° in 1982
New
SATURDAY
53
47
California has caused severe
swells that prevent us from
meeting our (scheduled) pro-
grams on time,” Stock said in
a release.
Currently in Crescent City,
the Chieftain will wait out the
rough seas and head straight
to its next planned stop in
Newport.
A steel-hulled replica of ves-
sels from the 18th and 19th cen-
turies, the Hawaiian Chieftain
is an educational tool meant to
give people a sense of old-time
Ocean salmon fishing dates announced
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Members of Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Marquis’ office pose for a
photo in recognition of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. The shirts read, ‘Be
hip. Heard. Informed. Present.’
Astoria and Warrenton will soon have four
new officers on patrol.
The state Department of Public Safety
Standards and Training will graduate its 376th
Basic Police Class — including 38 new offi-
cers throughout Oregon — Friday morning in
Salem. The 16-week class teaches skills such
as firearm use, emergency vehicle operations,
district includes Willapa Bay
and Grays Harbor, said he was
disappointed by Ecology’s
decision.
“I’m worried many of the
growers may not survive,” said
Blake, chairman of the House
agriculture committee. “It’s
not new science that killed the
permit, it’s new politics.”
The oyster growers’ asso-
ciation issued a press release
through the public relations
firm Strategies 360 condemn-
ing the decision. “To us, it
seems like Ecology has been
laying in the weeds, delaying
action on our permit applica-
tion, and politicizing the future
of our farms,” association
President Ken Wiegardt said in
a written statement.
Ecology’s
decision
becomes final May 14. Until
then, the public can com-
ment on it. After that, growers
can appeal the decision to the
state’s Pollution Control Hear-
ings Board.
Tall ship Hawaiian Chieftain’s
visit canceled due to weather
Hip to victims’ rights
The Daily Astorian
For decades growers con-
trolled the inedible burrowing
shrimp with carbaryl. Imida-
cloprid was proposed by Pat-
ten and growers as a less toxic
alternative.
The pesticide has not been
used in the U.S. in the manner
proposed by the oyster grow-
ers. Ecology water quality
manager Rich Doenges said
tests in Willapa Bay showed
that imidacloprid reduced
the population of some sed-
iment-dwelling creatures by
more than half, potentially dis-
rupting the food chain.
He said that Ecology also
was influenced by a 2017 EPA
study that assessed how imida-
cloprid running off farm fields
affected aquatic life.
The assessment found imi-
daclorpid posed a low direct
risk to fish, but could pose
an indirect risk by harming
insects that fish eat.
State Rep. Brian Blake, an
Aberdeen Democrat whose
W
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Thu.
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Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
W
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Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy,
sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow fl urries,
sn-snow, i-ice.
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The Daily Astorian office, 949 Exchange St. in Astoria. For more information, call 503-325-
3211, ext. 257.
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