Tire Pollution Allegedly Impacting Salmon, Steelhead

Photo: Alaska Region U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service/Flickr

An environmental activist group is threatening a lawsuit against more than a dozen tire manufacturers in America. The group – Earthjustice – claims these groups are violating the Endangered Species Act by adding chemical pollution to watersheds that are critical for chinook and coho salmon, as well as steelhead.

According to a story from Seattle Weekly, the lawsuit will allege that chemicals from tires “get from roads into waterways from the tires these companies produce and sell to consumers.”

Earthjustice even goes further by claiming that coho salmon, in particular, have been nearly irrevocably harmed by these chemicals, and that unless these tires are no longer produced, “it will be . . . impossible to reverse historical coho declines.”

Chemical pollution is a serious problem, but it’s not one that’s readily fixed. And while a lawsuit like the one Earthjustice plans to file is likely to fail, it does succeed in bringing attention to the problem.

The lawsuit, if filed, will be on behalf of The Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA) and the Institute for Fisheries Resources (ICFR). The PCFFA, according to their website, is the “largest and most active trade association of commercial fishermen on the West Coast.” PCFFA is dedicated to not only advocating for fishermen, but for the fisheries themselves. For example, PCFFA recently shared a story about emergency actions they’ve taken to mitigate whale entanglements in Dungeness crab gear.

The ICFR shares similar goals to the PCFFA. According to their website, the ICFR is focused on the “protection and restoration of fishery resources and the human communities and economies that depend on them.”

Both of these groups have a track record of fisheries conservation and preservation, so it’s no surprise to see them working to defend the resources so many commercial fishermen depend on.

If the lawsuit is filed, it will hopefully lead to solutions on this complex issue of chemical pollution. If we’ve learned anything from the current green energy trend, it’s the importance of having solid solutions in place before moving onto new methods. For example, electric cars in their current iteration just aren’t viable where I live in Wyoming. Going to the grocery store is a 100-mile round trip for me. That’s an extreme case, but it’s also going to make it tough for me to give up my internal combustion engine unless I see a viable alternative.

In any case – Earthjustice is bringing more awareness to the chemical pollution problems we face, and should be applauded for their work.