North Dakota: Mr. Charles F. Knedel, of the Game and Fish Department, 

 who reported on the effects of aldrin as used in grasshopper control on water- 

 fowl in marsh areas. 



Texast Mr. Daniel W. Lay, who reported effects of 20 pounds per acre of 

 lOJt heptachlor granules as used in the fire ant program in Hardin County. 



Wisconsin: Professor Joseph J. Hickey and Mr. L. Barrie Hunt, of the 

 University of Wisconsin, who studied (partly under contract with the Bureau) 

 the effects of DDT as used in Dutch elm disease control on birds in 3 sprayed 

 and 3 unsprayed communities. A report on these studies is in press in the 

 Journal of Wildlife Management . 



I. SCOPE OF THE PESTICIDE-WILDLIFE PROBLEM 



Following World War II new materials, particularly DDT, were used to 

 reduce agricultural loss, alleviate nuisances, or eliminate insect vectors of 

 disease. The initial success led to additional demand, and during the last 

 decade and a half a new type of pollution - chemical pollution - of our 

 environments has taken place. The wholesale value of pesticidal chemicals has 

 increased from $40 million to over $290 million [l8]. Predictions are that 

 the wholesale value will increase to $1 billion in about a decade. Over $2 

 billion are spent on pest control each year (Table l). At the present time 

 about one billion pounds of technical material are produced each year, and 

 over 100 million acres are treated annually. Table 3 lists some commonly used 

 pesticides and their annual production from 1952 to 1958. 



Not only has the use of pesticides increased, but also their number and 

 variety have multiplied. Today there are more than 200 basic types of techni- 

 cal materials. These are prepared and usually diluted in over 6000 various 

 formulations to get a more effective distribution of the toxicant. The number 

 of basic compounds in 5 major groups of pesticides is listed in Table 2. The 

 trend seems to be toward more highly toxic materials and heavier dosage rates. 

 Table 5 is taken from a U. S. Department of Agriculture review which shows how 

 the newer pesticides are replacing the older pesticides. 



Application techniques are improving, and there is an increasing trend 

 toward aerial application (Table 4). In January, 1958, in Agricultural 

 Chemicals , it was stated that 5000 pesticide planes distribute one billion 

 pounds of dry type chemicals and 100,000,000 gallons of liquids at a cost of 

 over $100,000,000 yearly. 



II. EFFECTS ON WILDLIFE: GENERAL 



In the use of modern pesticides direct wildlife damage is known to have 

 resulted, but side effects of many programs have received little or no study. 

 Of the higher forms of life, fish and other aquatic vertebrates are most 

 sensitive to pesticides. Fish have died after applications of 0.25 pound per 

 acre of DDT in oil; whereas cold-blooded terrestrial vertebrates have tolerated 



