gender bender

i love to fish for bass, and you can catch different types of them in any number of rivers and streams that flow in and around the chesapeake bay. i have been catching and releasing for the last couple of years as reports are released not only on the continued poor health of our waterways but also, the genetic mutations in the fish caused by this pollution. this week, the u.s. geological survey released the results of their nine-year study on fish from 111 different sites across the country: the results are very scary, with a huge percentage of male large and small mouth bass showing female characteristics. they say these morphed fish are not harmful to eat, but i will wait for the next study to verify that! lab experiments reveal "estrogenic compounds" derived from birth control pills, agricultural runoff loaded with pesticides, biodeisel fuel production, as well as an ingredient in plastic as the culprits. simple thought: reduce these chemicals in the waterways.

intersex fish in the potomac river?

i am a huge fan of stephen colbert...part of the colbert nation, if you will. i was completely disgusted with the so-called environmental protection agency (again) after watching the interview with new york times columnist nicholas kristof. apparently usgs scientists found prolific occurances of intersex bass, 82% of small mouth and 23% of large mouth, in the shenandoah and potomac rivers. that is repulsive. does the epa actually do anything? does anybody else think this is unacceptable? i think i will continue to catch-and-release.