Clean water could be fatal to this fish

Mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus)

The US Office of Naval Research (ONR) is studying how a small fish can thrive amid chronic pollution in a shallow, marshy area of Virginia's Elizabeth River.

So polluted is the site, that if the riverbed is disturbed, oil bubbles up to form slicks on the water's surface. Incredibly, the river supports a thriving population of a minnow-like fish known as the mummichog. Often used as bait to catch larger fish, it is now teaching scientists about the effects of environmental contaminants on ecosystems, and how long-term exposure to contaminants can affect populations of fish or other organisms.

"We need to understand this better before we even begin to think of how it might impact a clean-up," explained Dr. Linda Chrisey, ONR's program manager on the study. Normal fish taken from clean sites nearby cannot survive exposure in the laboratory to the polluted conditions, but the resident mummichog tolerates this environment. Ironically, mummichogs often die when transferred to cleaner water. The ONR believes the mummichog may have adapted to the chronic pollution.

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