wow how can that be, I thought that cancer in humans was the highest in the nation how ever more studies are needed to find out whats causing the little fishys to get cancer, are they smoking ,,, I know its all those butts we smokers are putting down the thrones of our homes LOL


ANNAPOLIS, Md. - More than half of one species of catfish sampled in the South River had skin tumors, matching the highest rate in the nation, wildlife officials said.

The skin tumor rate of brown bullhead catfish from the South River matched that of brown bullheads taken from the Great Lakes, which had the nation's highest rate. One fifth of the South River bullheads also had liver cancer, second only to the rate found in the Anacostia River in 2001, where nearly 70 percent had liver tumors, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife study released Tuesday.

"The fish are clearly exposed to cancer-causing agents, and at this point, we really don't know what chemicals are responsible," Fred Pinkney, the Fish and Wildlife Service biologist who conducted the study, told The Washington Post. "We suspect it's from (polluted) runoff."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060126/ap_on_sc/cancerous_catfish

I don't know how waste is handled along this waterway but I would assume that this waterway runs for miles before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. Any number of cities and towns could be dumping raw sewerage into it. There is also the question of runoff from treated farming. Catfish are bottom feeders and scavengers so they will consume anything.

This article may have two points:
1. Human waste and chemicle runoff are polluting the river.

2. Catfish farms are trying to drum up business.

I watched a pbs special on waste treatment plants day before yesterday and all the raw sewage are treated and all the by products from human waste are filtered and treated the solids are turned into fertilizers and the liquid wastes are puirifed before being dumped back into the seas and water ways.. rivers streams so it must be strip mines and farms with there ferterlizers

It's more likely to be caused by the runoff from all those green lawns and gardens in the land of suburban sprawl which are fed with Scott's Miracle Grow lawn care products.

yeah am waiting for the antis to put there spin on the percentage and that the smokers are the root cause of the high rate of catfish getting cancer..

quote:

Frank Koza Posted Thu January 26 2006 06:13 PM
It's more likely to be caused by the runoff from all those green lawns and gardens in the land of suburban sprawl which are fed with Scott's Miracle Grow lawn care products.

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LOL Good one, Frank