[ OUR OPINION ]
A FEDERAL agency has suspended temporarily the use of caffeine to control or eradicate coqui frogs in Hawaii, but researchers are prudent to continue to look for other ways to fight the pest. Although a loose band of coqui advocates suggests that the frogs' presence isn't more than a minor nuisance, protection of Hawaii's native ecosystem demands the frogs be curbed. State efforts to eradicate
coqui should continue
THE ISSUE The search for controls continues as the use caffeine on the frog has been halted for the time being.
Biological data support the fact that non-native species will harm an environment into which they are introduced. The group's claim that the frog hasn't been shown to be a threat defies logic. Past experience and extensive research and studies have unequivocally cataloged the damage, if not the obliteration, of native species by introduced plants, animals and insects.
That no studies have demonstrated adverse effects of the coqui in Hawaii doesn't mean that the frogs' presence is benign; it just means studies have yet to be done. For officials to await long-term research before attacking the problem would be absurd.
The group, dubbed the Coqui Hawaiian Integration and Reeducation Program, says its primary objection in frog control is the use of caffeine. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has asked federal agriculture officials to provide more information on the effects caffeine may have on nontarget areas before issuing a permit for its use. Meanwhile, tests have found that citric acid looks promising for frog control and, because it is a common, natural food additive, would not require extensive safety precautions. Other methods, such as traps, hydrated lime and refrigeration, are also being explored.
More than one-third of the endangered species in the United States are native to Hawaii. The frog poses a threat because it can survive and thrive in areas where a number of these species are holding on. Its diet of insects may imperil native birds that also feed on insects. Its increasing numbers are likely to provide food for rats and mongooses that also menace native birds.
The frogs have not yet posed significant economic problems. The tourism industry has been concerned because frogs' screeching would disturb visitors. The state's $88-million-a-year nursery industry is concerned because the frogs are suspected of spreading other pests, although the U.S. Department of Agriculture is still allowing plant exports to the mainland because cold winters will probably kill or curb the frog populations.
The coqui advocates say Hawaii should learn to accept the frogs and suggest if the racket they make is disturbing, residents should put plugs or cotton balls in their ears. Shutting off noise is one thing. Shutting off logic and reason is another.
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