WSU scientists have discovered that different species of salmon have varying reactions to polluted stormwater runoff.
In a recent paper published in the journal Environmental Pollution, scientists found that coho salmon became sick and nearly died, within just a few hours of exposure to polluted stormwater. But chum salmon showed no signs of ill-effects after prolonged exposure to the same water.
“It really surprised us,” said Jen McIntyre, an assistant professor in WSU’s School of the Environment. “Not that the coho were affected so quickly, but how resistant the chum were. We saw no impact at all in the chum’s post-exposure bloodwork.”
Survival in the tank
Stormwater is toxic to fish because it can include carcinogenic hydrocarbons, metals and other organic compounds, most of which have yet to be identified.
Read more at Washington State University
Image: Stormwater proves toxic to Coho salmon. (Credit: Tiffany Royal, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission)