2008 Woodie Awards
Study investigates impact of pesticides
Researchers say blueberry farmers may be inadvertently harming salmon populations
J. Astra Brinkmann
Issue date: 11/9/06 Section: News
Salmon and blueberries may not have much in common at first glance, but a deeper look shows that salmon populations are impacted by the pesticides used for blueberry growing. The question, "How harmful are these effects?" is one to be answered by the research of University of Maine graduate student Lucner Charlestra.
This year, Charlestra seeks his Ph.D. and his findings will reveal the preparations necessary to carry out field experiments during the summer of 2007. He plans on refining his data-gathering processes, which he started while he worked toward his master's degree.
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Atlantic Salmon Commission and the Maine Board of Pesticides Control have given their financial backing for Charlestra's project. It's not the first time that he has received support for his research; Charlestra came to Maine for his master's as a Fulbright Scholar.
Originally, Charlestra was conducting his studies on dioxins using a Semipermeable Membrane Device, but as Charlestra's adviser Howard Patterson explained, the Maine DEP decided that it had "higher priorities" and pushed towards exploring the effects of the run-off from pesticide-treated blueberry farms on salmon productivity.
Charlestra then decided to switch to using Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Sampler devices, which were better suited for evaluating these pesticides. He performed his experiments in the rivers in Washington and Hancock counties, he said, as they are rich in aquatic life.
Charlestra explained that although the POCIS device has the advantage of sampling the contaminated waters over a length of time as opposed to simply taking instantaneous snapshots, "the calibrations used for deployment were used from others' experiments, and that's not the best thing to do." Therefore, Charlestra's goal this year is to come up with his own calculations to use in the field, as well as holding laboratory simulations to test his theories.
Patterson expressed confidence in Charlestra's "unique qualities" to complete the project, especially in his devotion to accuracy. He said that there had been similar projects in the past that were not as successful, but that Charlestra knows the "way to work with science that makes everyone happy." As a result of Charlestra's abilities, Patterson said that there are plans for publishing Charlestra's studies.
The end result of Charlestra's findings is not necessarily to prevent blueberry farmers from using the pesticides, but to "improve the process," Patterson said. He explained the time of year that the pesticides were used tended to coincide with the time that salmon are most vulnerable.
Although setting up the processess needed for field experiments is new to him, Charlestra said, "I'm going to work hard on this. I'm more of a field person than a lab person, but I have no choice [but to do it this way], so I have to do it."
This year, Charlestra seeks his Ph.D. and his findings will reveal the preparations necessary to carry out field experiments during the summer of 2007. He plans on refining his data-gathering processes, which he started while he worked toward his master's degree.
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Atlantic Salmon Commission and the Maine Board of Pesticides Control have given their financial backing for Charlestra's project. It's not the first time that he has received support for his research; Charlestra came to Maine for his master's as a Fulbright Scholar.
Originally, Charlestra was conducting his studies on dioxins using a Semipermeable Membrane Device, but as Charlestra's adviser Howard Patterson explained, the Maine DEP decided that it had "higher priorities" and pushed towards exploring the effects of the run-off from pesticide-treated blueberry farms on salmon productivity.
Charlestra then decided to switch to using Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Sampler devices, which were better suited for evaluating these pesticides. He performed his experiments in the rivers in Washington and Hancock counties, he said, as they are rich in aquatic life.
Charlestra explained that although the POCIS device has the advantage of sampling the contaminated waters over a length of time as opposed to simply taking instantaneous snapshots, "the calibrations used for deployment were used from others' experiments, and that's not the best thing to do." Therefore, Charlestra's goal this year is to come up with his own calculations to use in the field, as well as holding laboratory simulations to test his theories.
Patterson expressed confidence in Charlestra's "unique qualities" to complete the project, especially in his devotion to accuracy. He said that there had been similar projects in the past that were not as successful, but that Charlestra knows the "way to work with science that makes everyone happy." As a result of Charlestra's abilities, Patterson said that there are plans for publishing Charlestra's studies.
The end result of Charlestra's findings is not necessarily to prevent blueberry farmers from using the pesticides, but to "improve the process," Patterson said. He explained the time of year that the pesticides were used tended to coincide with the time that salmon are most vulnerable.
Although setting up the processess needed for field experiments is new to him, Charlestra said, "I'm going to work hard on this. I'm more of a field person than a lab person, but I have no choice [but to do it this way], so I have to do it."
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