“Exposure to estrogen reduces production of immune-related proteins in fish. This suggests that certain compounds, known as endocrine disruptors, may make fish more susceptible to disease.
The research may provide new clues for why intersex fish, fish kills, and fish lesions often occur together in the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers.”
Read the full article at Water & Wastewater News.
Biologists state that the number of fish kills is holding steady from previous years. These fish kills have been occuring since 2004, and have affected various counties in the valley with varying degrees of severity. Two complications with observing the fishkills this year are that it has been cooler than usual with the amount of rainfall we have had, and the amount of rain has also made the water murky, and therefore harder to observe sick or dying fish.
The fact that some fish are being affected more some years than others suggests that the fish are adapting and creating a resistance against whatever is causing the fish kills. What is believed to be the cause of these kills is a bacteria known as Aeromonas Salmonicida as it was found around many of the lesions on the fish. After a series of controlled tests it was found that this bacteria created lesions in healthy fish that were exposed to the bacteria. What is curious is that the bacteria is found in cold water, and it is theorized that the bacteria is seeping in from cold water tributaries. The biologists conclude however, that there are many healthy fish still available and the fish kill is hardly noticeable unless you are looking for it.
To view the original article, please click here.
As we approach another spring and the potential for a recurrence of the fish kills, the DEQ and DGIF are interested in receiving reports from volunteers who are willing to document any fish kills on their home rivers. All reports can be registered directly with DEQ or DGIF by phoning one of their regional offices or sending a note to fishreports@deq.virginia.gov.
As an additional service for anyone who is willing to monitor fish kills in progress and respond with reports about their home river, the Fish Kill Task Force has established a list service that is maintained on a server at James Madison University (JMU). Click for more info: [Read more →]
The following Fish Kill Task Force research presentations were made in November 2008. A catalog of research projects in Excel spreadsheet format can be downloaded here: Research Catalog (right-click & select save). See the Press Release post below for more information on the Fish Kill Task Force research review meeting.
FISH KILL TASK FORCE EVALUATES RESULTS OF LATEST STUDIES
RICHMOND, VA. - The Shenandoah River Fish Kill Task Force met November 17, 2008, to review the latest research on the causes of unexplained fish kills in several Virginia river systems since 2003. The meeting included presentations and discussions of findings during 2008. Though researchers have not identified a cause, they are evaluating several significant findings.
The work plan for 2009 will be developed with input form the task force’s science subcommittee and should be finalized by early January. The general focus of work for 2009 will be on disease-causing organisms, fish health and water quality.
As researchers continue to gather valuable information, task force members are considering several theories. This includes the possibility of multiple stressors on fish populations that make the cause of the kills more complex than a single contaminant, virus or bacteria. [Read more →]
From JMU Professor Dr. Tom Benzing -
“On Monday, November 17, at 1:30-2:15 PM, Dr. Vicki Blazer from the USGS Leetown Science Center will speak in room 136 of the ISAT/CS Building. Dr. Blazer is a fish pathologist and a lead researcher in fish kill investigations for the Chesapeake Bay and the Shenandoah River. Her research has shown that Shenandoah smallmouth bass exhibit a histopathological disorder known as ‘intersex’ in which males produce eggs in their testes. She will discuss the science behind this phenomenon, her research methods, and how it may be connected to water quality conditions and recent fish kills.”
For more information, contact Dr. Benzing at (540) 568-2794.
FISH KILLS HAVE DEVELOPED MORE SLOWLY IN 2008, VIRGINIA REPORTS
RICHMOND, VA. - Fish kills are occurring in Virginia rivers again this year but have developed more slowly than in past years, according to ongoing studies by the Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. The severity of the kills in the Shenandoah River watershed may be more moderate this year, though fish kills in the upper James River watershed appear similar to those in 2007, the agencies reported today.
Fish kills and fish with lesions have been observed in the upper James River and some tributaries, including the Jackson and Cowpasture rivers. DGIF sampling on these rivers has confirmed recent anglers’ reports that 25 percent to 30 percent of fish have lesions.
There have been no problems reported on the mainstem Shenandoah River, though the upper North and South Forks of the Shenandoah have seen low numbers of affected fish this year. The sections of both forks that experienced kills in past years are reporting greatly improved catches this spring.
Though the fish kills each year apparently have followed the onset of warmer water temperatures during the spring, no cause for the fish deaths and lesions has been identified. The kills have not occurred after June in previous years. The Shenandoah River Fish Kill Task Force, chaired by DEQ and DGIF, began extensive investigations into the problem in 2005.
The number of kills began to increase this spring after stream temperatures rose in late May. Investigators have collected water and fish samples before and during the fish kills, and the same type of sampling has been conducted at other streams – in rivers with similar fish species but no fish kills. Laboratory processing of these samples may take several months.
“The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Department of Game & Inland Fisheries
(DGIF) coordinated investigations into fish mortality in the Shenandoah, James, and Cowpasture Rivers in
2007. Those investigations continue into 2008.
…
Extensive water quality and biological sampling was conducted in fish kill and reference areas in 2007. Findings seem to rule out the following possible causes:
- Individual water quality constituents as primary causes of mortality, including pH, ammonia, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, metals and organics
- Likely fish viruses, including largemouth bass virus (LMB-v) and viral hemmoragic septicemia (VHS-v), along with several opportunistic bacteria”
To read more, download the PDF here: 2007 Fish Kill Findings
The time is approaching for a ‘typical’ fish kill period, based on the water temperature and time of year when previous fish kills have occurred. Volunteers are needed over the next 3 weeks to help find and count dead fish in the Shenandoah River, and to identify fish species and document any injuries.
The types of injuries that might be found are in the slideshow below, or you can click here to view larger versions of the pictures with captions.
BubbleShare: Share photos.
Photos courtesy of Jeff Kelbe - Shenandoah Riverkeeper
If you are out on the river and you see any sick or dead fish, please note your location and contact Jeff Kelbe, the Shenandoah Riverkeeper, at (540) 837-1479 and Don Kain, Fish Kill Task Force Co-Chair, at (540) 574-7815.
Water and Fish samples are being taken from the North and South Forks of the Shenandoah River, as well as the James River, but additional volunteers are needed to complete the surveys. Ted Turner of the Valley Regional DEQ office, says:
“What we are looking for this season are volunteers who would be willing to go out on the rivers after fish kills are reported, to look for dead and dying fish and estimate the extent of the kill. We’d also like some volunteers to go out before and after storms and look for dead and dying fish. From our observations in the past 4 years, this isn’t as easy as it seems. We’d like to get our volunteers together, and do some training for investigating the kills, such as how and where to find the fish, identifying species if possible, marking locations w/ GPS, and collecting water quality measurements (temp, pH, D.O., etc.) where possible.” To read more from Ted Turner, and to read Jeff Kelbe’s commentary on the river’s health throughout the season, visit the Shenandoah Riverkeeper’s Blog.
If you are interested in volunteering to monitor the fish kills this year, please click the “Read More” link below for additional information.
The two articles from ‘Chemical & Engineering News’ below discuss the dangers of our pharmaceuticals on the environment due to ingested and unused medications ending up in our wastewater.
Article 1:
Side Effects by Bethany Halford
Excerpt:
“No one ever planned for fish to take birth control pills. But they are. As treated wastewater flows into rivers and streams every day, fish all over the world get a tiny dose of 17α-ethinylestradiol, a synthetic steroidal estrogen that’s used in birth control pills. They also get a little sip of the anticonvulsant carbamazepine, a nip of the antidepressant fluoxetine, and a taste of hundreds of other drugs that we take to make our lives better.”
Article 2:
What To Do With Your Unused Pharmaceuticals by Bethany Halford
Excerpt:
“Open up any medicine cabinet and you’ll probably see shelves crammed with expired and unused medications. The average American received more than 11 prescriptions in 2006, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, adding up to 3.3 billion prescriptions total. And that doesn’t even take into consideration all the nonprescription drugs we’ve got stockpiled in our cupboards.
No one knows just how many of those unwanted meds get flushed away each year, only to reemerge as trace contaminants in the environment. To get a handle on just how many unused pharmaceuticals go down the drain, scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency surveyed the drug inventory maintained by the Clark County coroner’s office in Las Vegas.”
