Pesticides New Threat to Lamprey Populations in Columbia River
SEAFOODNEWS.COM By Peggy Parker -- April 17, 2015
A study released yesterday by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission found that high levels of pesticides, flame retardants, and mercury in Pacific lampreys may be contributing to their overall decline in the Columbia River Basin.
The study, titled “Reconnaissance of Contaminants in Larval Pacific Lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) Tissues and Habitats in the Columbia River Basin, Oregon and Washington” showed concentrations of some flame retardants and pesticides were several hundred times higher in larval and juvenile lamprey tissues than in the surrounding sediments.
The rarely studied role of habitat contamination in the recent decline of lampreys...
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