A three-year study conducted by researchers at FIU, also known as Florida International University and the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, found that the fish off the coast of Florida are testing positive for pharmaceutical contaminants as human wastewater makes its way into the sea.
In a statement, Jim McDuffie, president of Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, said: “Inshore fisheries face increasing threats related to human contaminants. Drugs are an often overlooked aspect of water quality, and their presence in South Florida bonefish is a cause for concern. He added, “These contaminants pose a significant threat to the flatfish fishery, an important part of Florida’s recreational saltwater fisheries, which has an annual economic impact of $9.2 billion and directly supports more than 88,500 jobs.”
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Recent findings from the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust and Florida International University have found that blood pressure medications, antidepressants and opioids have all been found in bonefish.
— WLRN Openbare Media (@WLRN) February 11, 2022
Scientists from FIU and research associates from BTT sampled 93 fish in South Florida, finding an average of seven drugs per bonefish, and as many as 17 drugs in a single fish. The list includes blood pressure medications, antidepressants, drugs to treat the prostate, antibiotics, and pain relievers. Researchers also found drugs in bonefish prey, also known as crabs, shrimp and fish.
Lead researcher Jennifer Rehage, a coastal and fish ecologist and associate professor at the FIU Institute of Environment, presented the study’s findings at a panel event. “These findings are really alarming. Drugs are an invisible threat, unlike algae blooms or cloudy waters. Yet these results tell us they pose a formidable threat to our fisheries and highlight the urgent need to address our long-standing problems with wastewater infrastructure,” she says. said.
Bonefish, by the way, is one of Florida’s premier gamefish.
They are known as “gray ghosts” according to the FWC because they are “stealthy, fast-swimming fish that are exciting and challenging to catch.”
— WLRN Openbare Media (@WLRN) February 11, 2022
McDuffie added: “These disturbing findings underscore the urgent need for Florida to expand and modernize state-wide wastewater treatment plants and sewage infrastructure. Governor DeSantis’ leadership and historic funding for water quality improvements, along with regulatory support and funding, have put us in the right place. path.”
“Now we need to accelerate those efforts, increase long-term investment and pursue innovative solutions. We need to accelerate the conversion from septic to sewer and in those places where sewage is not available, the use of advanced septic technology is required. The health of our citizens and the coastal resources that support Florida’s economy depend on it,” he concluded.
The report states: “Each year, approximately 5 billion prescriptions are filled in the US, but there are no environmental regulations for drug disposal worldwide. Pharmaceutical contaminants usually come from human wastewater and are not sufficiently removed by conventional water treatment. They remain active at low doses, can be constantly released and exposure can affect all aspects of fish behaviour, negatively impacting their reproduction and survival. Pharmaceutical contaminants have been shown to affect all aspects of fish life, including their diet, activity, sociability and migratory behavior.”
According to the Daily Mail, a similar study in Australia found that fluoxetine, the main ingredient in the antidepressant drug Prozac, interferes with the foraging behavior of a freshwater species of mosquito fish, Gambusia holbrooki, which is found in waterways in both the United States and Australia.