Letter to the editor: Response to recent criticism on aquatic semifield experiments: Opportunities for new developments in ecological risk assessment of pesticides

Abstract

DEAR SIR: Recently, aquatic semifield experiments have been criticised in the scientific literature for their lack of clear criteria for acceptability of effects and their power to detect effects at the population level (e.g., De Jong and Montforts 2006). In this letter, I wish to highlight that the lack of clear evaluation criteria is not a problem of semifield experiments alone, but of ecological risk assessment (ERA) in general, since responsible risk managers have not as yet described or proposed protection goals in terms of quantifiable measurement endpoints. In fact, we should be happy that these tests force risk managers (and stakeholders) to further investigate the fundamental questions of cause and effect. I also wish to encourage evaluation of statistical power at the community level, rather than at the population level; aquatic semifield experiments are often not performed to specifically evaluate effects on specific populations. Instead, these experiments should be seen in the context of evaluation of overall community responses.