The object of a hunting, fishing, or collecting exercise, or an extermination effort aimed at destroying a particular organism. This term is often used to describe the intended victim of an application of pesticide or herbicide. Unfortunately, many non-target species can be affected by so-called targeted activities. For example, Pacific net fishermen target the yellowfin tuna, but also snare and kill non-target species such as dolphins. Pesticides applied to crops to kill insects (the target species) can enter the food chain/web, become biologically magnified, and kill non-target species such as fish-eating birds or birds of prey.

See Also

Biomagnification