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Bulletin Board

SALMON ARE FALLING FROM THE SKIES in Oregon’s Mt. Hood National Forest. In an attempt to replace a critical link in the food web once provided by the salmon that swam, spawned, and then died in many Pacific Northwest rivers, wildlife managers are dropping thousands of pounds of dead coho—excess hatchery fish—into the rivers from helicopters. The plan is that the fish carcasses will recreate the basis of an entire food web. According to forest service researchers, at least 138 species of wildlife have some relationship with salmon. Eagles, bears, raccoons, minks, and otters feed directly on the fish or their bodies, while birds like the American dipper enjoy the extra insects the carcasses attract. The wildlife then pass those nutrients into the soil, fertilizing streamside vegetation, which in turns drops leaves into the river that becomes food for aquatic insects.

THE EXOTIC PIKE THREATENING LAKE DAVIS TROUT will soon meet their match, when Cal Fish & Game begins detonating a series of small explosions in the lake. The explosions are designed to burst the air bladders of any pike in the area (but will also kill other nearby fish and amphibians). A one-acre test detonation will be conducted in April. If the test goes as planned, the state will use clothesline-like detonation cords to eradicate areas of up to 10 acres where the pike congregate. After the explosion treatment is completed, the lake will be restocked with trout.

CAFFEINE, ANTIBIOTICS, DETERGENTS, perfumes, disinfectants, insecticides, pain killers, steroids, and many other personal care products and drugs are among the compounds pervading our nation’s waterways at low concentrations (usually less than 1 part per billion), according to a recent study published in Environmental Science & Technology. The study is the result of more than two years of water sampling performed by the U.S. Geological Survey in 139 streams across 30 states. The California streams in the study had higher concentrations of some chemicals than many streams in other states, possibly because they were located downstream of dairies, agricultural land, and sewage treatment facilities. Survey scientist Ed Furlong says he hopes the study will provide objective scientific information that can be used to calibrate experiments on how to treat these ubiquitous micropollutants; he also hopes it will be useful for the wastewater industry to begin thinking about how to improve their systems.

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