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<p>1. Monitor imidacloprid fate and persistence in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor following commercial usage.</p><p>2. Improve monitoring program for juvenile shrimp and forecasting shrimp infestations requiring control.</p><p>3. Improve the efficacy of imidacloprid for control of burrowing shrimp.</p><p>4. Assess landscape-scale impacts of Japanese eelgrass management on commercial shellfish production and ecosystem processes in Willapay Bay.</p>
<p>Research will be conducted under tidal estuary conditions on commercial shellfish beds using replicated design. Work on Japanese eelgrass will focus mainly on paired plots of treated and untreated beds studying basic production and ecological functions. Research with burrowing shrimp will consist of replicated small plot designs to assess methods to improve efficacy. It will also include a large-scale baywide monitoring of juvenile burrowing shrimp and will hope to provide improved technology for future studies. It will assess large-scale commercial application of burrowing shrimp control by shellfish industry as per protocol developed by regulatory agencies.Statistics will include paired plot analysis and other traditional statisical analysis appropriate for each design.Results will be provided through grower meetings, web site and documents provided to regulatory agencies.</p>