[CPEO-MEF] Army's fish biomonitoring system

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Fish biomonitoring system wins Army research award

by Karen Fleming-Michael
Fort Detrick Standard
January 6, 2005 

One of the toughest things Tom Shedd faces when he shows people his
invention is the "laugh factor." 

Along with other scientists from the U.S. Army Center for Environmental
Health Research, Shedd, a research aquatic biologist, found a way to let
fish tell people when water is contaminated. 

"Folks just have a hard time understanding that you can use whole
organisms as a monitoring strategy," Shedd said. "So whenever you see
somebody come by to see the fish, it's usually met with a ha-ha-ha. But,
then if you talk about it, all of a sudden they shake their heads and
say, 'That's a good idea.'" 

The invention, the Automated Fish Biomonitoring System, received one of
the Army's Research and Development Achievement Awards for 2004 Dec. 2. 

"The fish live in a confined area with no stimulus--they just sit there
and breathe--so when a stimulus from the water comes in, such as an
intentional poisoning of a river at the water intake, the fish change
their behavior," Shedd said.  

...

For the entire article, see 
http://www.dcmilitary.com/army/standard/10_01/features/32694-1.html 

-- 


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org
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