Fruit Growers Battle New Invasive Asian Fly

CORVALLIS, Oregon, April 19, 2010 (ENS) - A tiny Asian fly that is new to North America is threatening much of the West Coast fruit industry and has been detected in Florida too, warn state and federal agricultural experts.

The spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, an invasive vinegar fly native to southeast Asia, first appeared on fruit crops from California to British Columbia last fall.

NOAA Seeks Public Input for National Aquaculture Policy

WASHINGTON, DC, March 30, 2010 (ENS) - The federal government is developing a new national policy for sustainable marine aquaculture and is seeking public input to craft a set of uniform, national standards to regulate open ocean aquaculture in federal waters.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, will hold six listening sessions in April and May to hear recommendations from the public on how to regulate the cultivation of marine organisms, such as shellfish and finfish, with minimal damage to the environment.

New Study Asserts Gender-Bending Effect of Popular Pesticide

A new study shows that astrazine, a common pesticide, could be desrupting hormone levels in animals -- and possibly humans.

Atrazine, a weed killer commonly used in the Midwest to combat broadleaf pest plants that ail crops, has been found to cause severe hormone imbalances in laboratory animals. The pesticide, which is a known endocrine disruptor, is the most activley detected pesticide in USGS ground and surface water studies. While the chemical is banned in the European Union, its use in the United States makes it one of the most commonly used pesticides in the world.

Broad Coalition of Industry Groups Protest Biofuel Expansion

A broad coalition of industry and consumer groups is urging the EPA to reopen research into biofuel, citing numerous costs to consumers and manufacturers from ethanol-based engine failures.

A broad and diverse coalition of industry groups sent a letter to the EPA, the Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture, and the White House to protest the planned expansion of biofuels in consumer gasoline. Currently, the EPA allows a 10% of gasoline sold to consumers to be subsidy-driven ethanol, a biofuel meant to reduce dependency on oil imports and reduce grain surplus issues in the American farming industry. This same product, which is less powerful and slightly cleaner burning gasoline, has been found to damage gasoline engines.