Extension Report

Baldwin County Extension Office

302A Byrne Street

Bay Minette, AL  36507

Michael McIntyre

Urban Regional Extension Agent

Natural Resources/Home Horticulture

Contaminants in Fish Habitat

When you sit at the dinner table or at your favorite restaurant do you think of where this salmon or other type of seafood came from? I am almost certain your answer would be NO.  We have become accustomed to not worrying about the foods that we eat; unless there is an outbreak of bacteria in the food marketing chain.  In this article, we will discuss briefly how toxins can get in your dinner plate.

Animals, recently treated with antibiotics can have a trace amount of that antibiotic left in the muscles (meat), if they are slaughtered before the antibiotic withdrawal period.  This is one of the ways bacteria get resistant to certain antibiotics.  The same principal applies to aquatic life form that spent all their life in the water and is continuously in contact with pesticides, herbicides and other toxic chemicals.

So what happens when these toxins do not pass through our water treatment plant and enter our streams and rivers?   In the physical environment the ocean is their final destination.  However, in the biological environment, some of these toxins are soluble and can be taken by fish.  These toxins may or may not have any effect on the fish health; it all depends on the type of toxins, type of fish and a myriad of other factors.  Toxins will continue to accumulate in the fish body until it is consumed by us or a larger fish species. This larger fish will consume more of the smaller fish, thus there will be a larger accumulation of toxins in the larger fish in comparison to the smaller fish.

This is why water testing is so important in determining the conditions suitable for fish health.  Most water testing activity will test for a few physical and chemical properties of the water example; temperature, pH, nitrate, nitrite and may not necessarily identify toxins. If the primary water test is not suitable for fish, then further in depth testing needs to be done. 

Water testing is the primary step in making sure your seafood dinner is safe.  The toxins in fish may not pose an immediate danger to us; however, an accumulation of this in our tissues may be of health concerns. It is therefore important that we avoid polluting our water sources because it will all come back to us through the dinner plate.  Let’s keep our waters healthy.

If you need additional information contact Michael McIntyre @ 251-574-8445 or 251-259-1265 or email mnm0001@aces.edu.

Clays for Clovers Sporting Clays Classic Set for Nov.14; To Benefit Alabama 4-H

Make plans to be a part of the 2nd annual Clays for Clovers Sporting Clays Classic, sponsored by B.L. Harbert International to benefit Alabama 4-H. This year’s event will be held Friday, Nov. 14, at Selwood Farm near Childersburg.

B.L. Harbert, an international construction company based in Birmingham, founded the tournament in 2007 to support Alabama 4-H, the state’s largest youth development organization.

In addition to a double start 100-target sporting clays tournament, three competitive games will be offered for play, and prizes will be awarded to the top shooters.

The luncheon is being sponsored by the Alabama Poultry and Egg Association.

Celebrating its Centennial year, Alabama 4-H has more than 59,000 youth involved in various clubs, special interest groups, competitions, and activities. The mission of 4-H is to serve all youth and teach them leadership, citizenship and life skills.

To register or find out more about the Sporting Clays Classic, call Nancy Alexander, state specialist, volunteerism and fund development, at (334) 844-2219, or go online to and click on the Clovers for Clays logo.

Email address: mnm0001@auburn.edu

Phone: (251) 937-7176

October 16, 2008

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work in agriculture and home economics, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, and other related acts, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn University) offers educational programs, materials, and equal opportunity employment to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status, or disability

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