SHARPSBURG, Maryland (AP) -- Male fish that are growing eggs have been found in the Potomac River near Sharpsburg, a sign that a little-understood type of pollution is spreading downstream from West Virginia, a federal scientist says. http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/12/21/potomac.fish.ap/index.html
that sounds frightening. thankful am i to be a vegetarian and not to be adding to pollutants from our waters.
It probably is the pollution but as a side note, in some species of fish the male does bear eggs and in other species the fish can change their sex throughout their life. It could be a natural mutation or it could be caused by pollution. I think we need to get some more facts on this and see whats really going on. If anyone has a subscription to a scientific journal with articles relating to this please send me a link, I am away from school right now and don't have access to the librarys collection.
A survey of 1,500 fish at 50 river sites found more than a third of males displayed female characteristics. Hormones in the sewage, including those produced by the female contraceptive pill, are thought to be the main cause. The agency says the problem could damage fish populations by reducing their ability to reproduce. It said its study highlighted the need for water companies to develop new treatments. There has been concern for some time that chemicals, known as endocrine disruptors, are causing fish to change sex. The latest study is the first to show the scale of the problem in Britain. from the bbc http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3882159.stm link to more infomation at the uk goverments emvironments agency; http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/news/821453?lang=_e®ion=&projectstatus=&theme=&subject=Fish&searchfor=&topic=&area=&month=&lang=_e Male whales, dolphins and seals are the latest animals to show signs of developing female sex organs as a result of pollution, scientists said yesterday. A wide range of marine life has already demonstrated hermaphroditic traits, from molluscs and fish to polar bear cubs. But it is now thought that more mammals are being similarly affected, placing populations and species in danger. Prof Peter Matthiessen, of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology at Lancaster Environment Centre, said: "There is now increasingly convincing data about marine mammals - otters, whales, dolphins and seals - that seem to be suffering in some areas the syndrome of feminisation. "Effects range from minor biochemical and cellular changes to serious impacts on populations and on the biodiversity of whole animal communities." Speaking at a briefing for journalists in London, he cited a population of Beluga whales in the St Lawrence estuary, Canada, which has a "range of significant abnormalities". The deformities are caused by so-called "gender-bending" substances, principally oestrogen and chemicals that mimic its effect. Oestrogen can occur in sewage, while its chemical mimics are found in paint used on ships' hulls. -------------- honestly what the hell are humans doing, surely if things dont change in terms of a total shift from protection of economy and personal power to protection of the world which is suffering to sustain us this and all the other Major problems we are directly knowingly (and those we are not knowingly) causing will increase and escilate beyond all imagioned scale to a degree at a point in time of impossible regeneration.
