One fish, two fish, boy fish? girl fish?

In a recent study by the U.S. Geologic Survey, researchers found intersex fish in the Delaware, Susquehanna, and Ohio River basins of Pennsylvania.  Small mouth bass, whitesuckers, and redhorse suckers were collected from sixteen sites including the Swatara Creek, Juniata River, Conodoguinet Creek, Yellow Breeches Creek, and the Susquehanna River in central Pennsylvania.

Male small mouth bass from all sites were carrying immature eggs, with the lowest prevalence in the Ohio basin, intermediate in the Delaware, and highest in the Susquehanna basin.  And while the white suckers and redhorse suckers did not have intersex characteristics, some of the white suckers had a precursor to egg development in their blood.

The culprit: endocrine disrupting chemicals that alter hormone release.  These chemicals most likely find their way into our waters from agriculture sources like manure, pesticides, and herbicides, and from human sources like wastewater treatment plant effluent and sewage discharges. Intersex fish were more prevalent in areas where there were more agricultural operations and the severity of intersex conditions increased at sites downstream from wastewater discharges.

The researchers were surprised by the number of fish affected and the severity. These changes can have negative long-term effects that can threaten fish populations, as eggs inside the male fish will not mature and chemicals in the water can impact their immune systems, making them more susceptible to diseases.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is conducting a multiyear analysis of the rivers and collecting and analyzing water and sediment samples to find out exactly which chemicals are out there and in what concentrations.

Jen Quinn is PennFuture's central Pennsylvania outreach coordinator and is based in Harrisburg. 

Follow the river: Susquehanna River community forum on January 20 in Harrisburg

Want to learn more about issues affecting the Susquehanna River? StateImpact Pennsylvania is hosting a community forum Monday, January 20 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at witf Public Media Center in Harrisburg. Meet a panel of experts and discuss issues affecting the watershed including pollution, tourism, recreation, and more. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required. Click here to sign up.

The Susquehanna River flows from upstate New York to the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland but, for many, it is Pennsylvania’s river. It is 444 miles long, and the largest river on the east coast that drains into the Atlantic. It has an average daily rush of 22 billion gallons, and is the largest source of freshwater to the Chesapeake Bay. The river drains 27,500 square miles, including almost half of the land area in Pennsylvania. The Susquehanna River Basin is home to 3.8 million people who use its water for drinking, agricultural and industrial purposes, and recreation.

In 2011, the "Susqy" was considered the most endangered river in the nation by both American Rivers and the Sierra Club. The river has long been impacted by polluted runoff from agriculture as well as from stormwater runoff that picks up pollution from roads, lawns, and construction sites. More recently, the impacts of hydraulic fracturing and its associated water withdrawals have been major concerns for many. There has also been a recent push by a number of environmental organizations to list a 98-mile stretch of the river as impaired under the Clean Water Act due to poor water quality conditions and alarming declines in smallmouth bass populations.

Panelists at the January 20 event will include John Arway, executive director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission; Andrew Dehoff, executive director of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission; Don McNutt, district administrator for the Lancaster County Conservation District; Alexandra Chiaruttini, an environmental attorney with the York law firm Stock and Leader; and Cindy Dunn, president and CEO of PennFuture.

Jen Quinn is central Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for PennFuture and is based in Harrisburg. She specializes is water issues.