Something Fishy Is Going on With Bass in the Potomac
Something Fishy Is Going on With Bass in the Potomac
Updated: Tuesday, Jun. 14, 2005 - 4:21 AM
Mark Segraves, WTOP Radio
Colleen Kelleher, wtopnews.com
WASHINGTON -- Along the South Branch of the Potomac River, something fishy is going on with the male fish.
And the products you're using in your home may be to blame.
The male fish are behaving like female fish.
"In the male gonads, there are immature eggs," says Vicki Blazer, a U.S. Geological Survey fish pathologist who works at the national fish health lab in Kearneysville, W. Va.
Blazer, who's been studying the problem since it first appeared in 2002, says it's occurring downstream from sewage treatment plants.
She says the condition shows up in intersex fish -- fish that exhibit both ovarian and testicular tissue.
From West Virginia to D.C., the affected Potomac River fish include smallmouthed and largemouth bass, which are popular with anglers.
"The fish have been exposed to some endocrine-disrupting chemical, and those can be natural chemicals, such as natural estrogens that are excreted. More commonly, it's related to synthetic estrogens, such as those that are used in birth control pills and estrogen replacement therapy," Blazer says.
But the cause of the problem isn't just birth control pills that end up going through treatment plants after women's bodies process them and the toilets have been flushed.
Herbicides, pesticides and pharmaceuticals that can mimic estrogen also may be to blame.
Scientists are looking for the specific causes of this emerging contaminant issue, which has ben found around the world.
"These are not necessarily big industry or agricultural sort of problems. Many of these chemicals are things that we, the public, routinely use and they are getting into our water system," Blazer says.
"These things act at very, very low levels."
It's not known how these contaminants are affecting the health of the Potomac River and the health of the bass population. In Europe, Blazer says fish with this condition have been found to have less sperm and were less likely to fertilize eggs.
What's also not known is how safe the fish are to eat. Blazer says if the problem is just estrogen, cooking the fish would destroy the estrogen.
Once the specific causes of the Potomac River's problems are identified, Blazer says, "Hopefully, we can find ways for the sewage treatment plants to take the material out of the water."
If the problem is associated with livestock production and the spreading of manure on fields, Blazer says the solution may be better farm management techniques.
With the Potomac River feeding into the Chesapeake Bay, Blazer says there is the possibility it could affect the nation's largest estuary.
"It's a potential problem for the Chesapeake."
Dan Ward, who's worked at the Fletcher's Cove Boathouse since 1969, says Potomac River fishermen are curious about the transgender fish.
"I'm sure there's a lot of concern among the serious fishermen that something amiss is happening," says Ward.
But he says other water quality issues -- including environmental degradation, pollution, urbanization and siltation -- are of greater concern to anglers.
(Copyright 2005 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
Something Fishy Is Going on With Bass in the Potomac
Updated: Tuesday, Jun. 14, 2005 - 4:21 AM
Mark Segraves, WTOP Radio
Colleen Kelleher, wtopnews.com
WASHINGTON -- Along the South Branch of the Potomac River, something fishy is going on with the male fish.
And the products you're using in your home may be to blame.
The male fish are behaving like female fish.
"In the male gonads, there are immature eggs," says Vicki Blazer, a U.S. Geological Survey fish pathologist who works at the national fish health lab in Kearneysville, W. Va.
Blazer, who's been studying the problem since it first appeared in 2002, says it's occurring downstream from sewage treatment plants.
She says the condition shows up in intersex fish -- fish that exhibit both ovarian and testicular tissue.
From West Virginia to D.C., the affected Potomac River fish include smallmouthed and largemouth bass, which are popular with anglers.
"The fish have been exposed to some endocrine-disrupting chemical, and those can be natural chemicals, such as natural estrogens that are excreted. More commonly, it's related to synthetic estrogens, such as those that are used in birth control pills and estrogen replacement therapy," Blazer says.
But the cause of the problem isn't just birth control pills that end up going through treatment plants after women's bodies process them and the toilets have been flushed.
Herbicides, pesticides and pharmaceuticals that can mimic estrogen also may be to blame.
Scientists are looking for the specific causes of this emerging contaminant issue, which has ben found around the world.
"These are not necessarily big industry or agricultural sort of problems. Many of these chemicals are things that we, the public, routinely use and they are getting into our water system," Blazer says.
"These things act at very, very low levels."
It's not known how these contaminants are affecting the health of the Potomac River and the health of the bass population. In Europe, Blazer says fish with this condition have been found to have less sperm and were less likely to fertilize eggs.
What's also not known is how safe the fish are to eat. Blazer says if the problem is just estrogen, cooking the fish would destroy the estrogen.
Once the specific causes of the Potomac River's problems are identified, Blazer says, "Hopefully, we can find ways for the sewage treatment plants to take the material out of the water."
If the problem is associated with livestock production and the spreading of manure on fields, Blazer says the solution may be better farm management techniques.
With the Potomac River feeding into the Chesapeake Bay, Blazer says there is the possibility it could affect the nation's largest estuary.
"It's a potential problem for the Chesapeake."
Dan Ward, who's worked at the Fletcher's Cove Boathouse since 1969, says Potomac River fishermen are curious about the transgender fish.
"I'm sure there's a lot of concern among the serious fishermen that something amiss is happening," says Ward.
But he says other water quality issues -- including environmental degradation, pollution, urbanization and siltation -- are of greater concern to anglers.
(Copyright 2005 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
