Student pharmacists at West Virginia University are hosting a fishing derby to raise awareness of a problem that many anglers likely don’t know about. According to research from WVU, more and more freshwater fish are ingesting some of the same pharmaceutical products humans are.
Joseph Kingsbury, a doctoral student in natural resources science, and Kyle Hartman, a professor of wildlife and fisheries resources, led a sampling effort on the West Fork and Tygart Valley rivers in West Virginia. What they found were surprisingly highly amounts of both beta blockers and statins in fish throughout both river systems.
The fish are ingesting the beta blockers and statins through treated wastewater, which is then pumped back into rivers. Water treatment facilities aren’t adept at removing pharmaceuticals, however, which is why they end up permeating everything in the ecosystem.
Kingsbury and Hartman theorized they’d find evidence of the drugs in fish’s livers, because livers process statins and beta blockers. In some cases, they found livers that were discolored, and even some fish that had parasites.
“None looked super healthy compared to traditional fish livers,” Kingsbury said. “And pharmaceuticals are very resilient. They’re meant to be saved, to go on our shelves and not break down over the years. We found quite a few sub-lethal effects.”
The Fishing Derby
To raise awareness of what an impact these pharmaceuticals can have on fish populations, student pharmacists at WVU are hosting a fishing derby to help spread the word and give folks advice on how to get rid of their unwanted prescriptions.
“During the event, we will distribute proper medication disposal kits, and host an educational table on proper medication disposal,” said Chrissa Balsley, one of the event organizers.
The event will be held on April 18th from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at Cooper’s Rock Lake. You can register for the event ahead of time, or register day-of. The fishing will be for stocked trout, and there will be a raffle for prizes.
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