My first thought goes towards Frankenstein. Or, in this case, FrankenFish. What on earth are these people thinking? Or smoking? Or snorting, for that matter?
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Scientists have discovered sexually altered fish off the Southern California coast, raising concerns that treated sewage discharged into the ocean contains chemicals that can affect an animal’s reproductive system.
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In the latest studies, presented at Monday’s Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry in Baltimore, scientists caught 82 male English sole and hornyhead turbot off Los Angeles and Orange counties.
Of those, 11 possessed ovary tissue in their testes, said Doris Vidal of the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, who led one of the studies.
Scientists do not yet know how such sexual defects affect the overall fish population.
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Two related studies found that two-thirds of male fish near the Orange County pipeline had egg-producing qualities. In a laboratory experiment, male fish exposed to sediment collected from the pipelines also developed egg-producing traits.
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Um, yeah. Let’s dump all sorts of chemicals into the water and then act all surprised when something goes wrong. Yep.
