The Black Swan

The term black swan originated from an old belief that all swans were white. In that context, a black swan became a metaphor for something that could not exist. But when black swans were discovered in Australia in the 17th century, the saying took on a new meaning. In the case of genetically engineered industrial agriculture, the black swan became a perceived impossibility that actually has come to pass bringing with it a large impact.

The Art of Angling
Whether a fly fisherman or just appreciative of the symmetry captured through the eye of a lens, the art of angling is a captivating sport. The architecture of the sport places the two participants in the most exquisite of circumstance. Standing firmly in the shallows of a clear, clean stream, the cold current gently wraps your legs. The sun is warm on your back and the sweet air fills your lungs. Honeybees gathering nectar from the scattered wildflowers just off the riverbank, buzz softly while the participants get at the ready.

The ritual begins as physics meet expertise. Casting the fly rod smartly, mass meets velocity. Whizzing along the tapered pole, the line gently unfurls in graceful coils. The finely crafted lure soars high into time and space, then as gentle as a summer breeze, settles on the reflective surface of the pristine waterway. Looking as natural as any water bug resting on the river’s face, the colourful lure lies there waiting for the competitor to enter the aquatic arena. As time passes, a large mouth bass swims by. This native of North America is always on the lookout for a culinary morsel to satisfy a carnivorous appetite. He spots something floating above which just may fit the bill. Moving cautiously, the cunning fresh water fish uses all of his senses – hearing, sight, vibration and smell to assess its prey. Uncertain if what he sees is real food, he’s slow to take the bait. But as we all know, snacks can take on a power all their own.

The lure does its job. Intrigued, the bass slowly swims closer. In a blink of an eye he takes the challenge. The line tugs and the contest of wills begin. In frenzy, the water, the hunter, the fish become locked as sport and self preservation lock horns. The bass becomes airborne struggling to throw off the hook. But the seasoned sportsman quickly adjusts the line. Fighting for life, the bass swims in short powerful spurts desperately seeking a weed bed or submerged log which may give refuge. As the battle of wills unfold the sportsman gains the upper hand. Catch net at the ready, the victor lands the vanquished. The hard fought battle is over.

Yet,victory is not always sweet. While the hunter reflects on his prized catch, the sportsman let’s his opponent go. The offering that Mother Nature once provided with impunity is now suspect. The bass has mutated contaminated by biochemicals.

These chemicals are not from the murky waters of industrial wastelands nor from the over-congested urban areas that spew toxic chemicals from household and personal goods into the river system. These mutant fish come from the pristine water basin that runs through the fertile lands of the Shenandoah Valley. Waters from one of America’s oldest agricultural settlements and home to genetically engineered crops sown by large industrial scale farming operations. These suspect chemicals disrupt the animal’s endocrine system and just like humans and honeybees, the young are particularly susceptible.

Intersex Fish
Between 1995 and 2004 the US Geology Department took on a monumental task. In the most comprehensive river study to be carried out to date, they surveyed 16 species in nine river systems over nine years. The original objective was to document fish which already had conditions linked to contaminants like pesticides, PCBs, heavy metals and household compounds such as laundry detergent, shampoo and pharmaceuticals which have polluted the Earth’s river systems for years. These government scientists already knew that mutations were manifesting in fish that swam in those waters. Fish that were blended-gender with both male and female sexual characteristics was not the surprise. What raised the Black Swan of concern was how prevalent the new species of ‘intersex’ fish swam in the fresh water river ways throughout North America well away from industrial sites and over populated urban areas.

As the geologists continued their extensive survey they tested the water pollution levels and discovered one-third of all male smallmouth bass and 20% of male largemouth bass had female characteristics -- most commonly immature eggs in their testes. They also discovered a second inflicted species. Channel catfish were mutating into intersex fish too.

The prevalence of mutated fish in polluted rivers didn’t surprise the geologists. But the discovery from the pristine waters of the Yampa River in Lay, Colorado gave scientists around the world something new to think about. In water which showed no obvious sources of contamination, scientists found that 70% of male smallmouth bass were intersex. The congenital abnormality was so prevalent that only the waters of the Yukon River basin in Alaska were without the aberrational species.

Jo Ellen Hinck, biologist and lead author of the US Geological Survey concluded the occurrence was more widespread than anticipated. "When you have the majority of fish at a site showing up intersex, that's worrisome. We think that's enough reason to try to find out what's the cause of this and if it has implications for ecosystem.” She continued, “Proper diagnosis of this condition in wild fish is essential. If the primary causes are compounds that disrupt the endocrine system, then the widespread occurrence of intersex in fish would be a critical environmental concern.”

The endocrine system regulates every function of the body. It’s designed to excrete hormones which regulate physical wellbeing including sexual activity and reproduction characteristics. The endocrine system in fish is similar to that of higher vertebrates. Like in humans, their endocrine system controls and regulates their bodily functions. Endocrine disruptors inhibit transcription – the transference of genetic knowledge to the body’s cells which tells them what they’re supposed to develop into. The disruption means the cells get a very different message – if they get one at all. And that’s where the trouble starts. The body’s cells mutate because of the mixed messages they receive and they start to build something that doesn’t belong in the host – whether fish, bird, insect or human.