Not sure how many of you might have seen this item tucked away in the
Outdoors section of Sunday's Seattle Times.
If I remember correctly, wasn't director Koenings trying to
discontinue rotenone use several months ago as a possible health
hazard to agency employees?
Kent Lufkin
>State Shelves Rotenone Use
>
>By Mark Yuasa
>Seattle Times Staff Reporter
>
>The State Fish and Wildlife Commission is seeking ways to update how
>it rehabilitates Eastern Washington lakes.
>
>To improve fishing opportunities, the agency has historically used
>rotenone, a white, odorless substance derived from plants, to kill
>unwanted fish in lakes before restocking them.
>
>However, a recent federal court ruling now requires the state, under
>the Clean Water Act, to get a National Pollution Discharge
>Elimination System permit whenever it uses rotenone.
>
>That permit procedure still needs to be worked out with the
>Washington Department of Ecology, and until then, no lakes will be
>treated with rotenone.
>
>The state also plans to honor a Wildlife Commission request to
>produce a cost-benefit comparison of using rotenone and trout fry
>stocking versus other alternatives.
>
>"Rotenone is just one tool in our toolbox of ways to improve fishing
>in Washington," said Jeff Koenings, director of state Fish and
>Wildlife. "We'll keep it as a tool, but it needs updating."
