CLEMSON, SC — Clemson University toxicologists have found that hybrid striped bass exposed to the antidepressant fluoxetine, which has been detected in some surface waters, are less interested in feeding than other fish and often display behaviors that make them easier prey for predators, according to a July 21 Scientific American article.Antidepressants like fluoxetine, the active ingredient in Prozac, block the reuptake by neurons of serotonin, a neurotransmitter strongly tied to emotion, appetite and aggression, according to the article.
For the study, researchers Stephen Klaine and Kristen Gaworecki exposed the fish to varying amounts of the drug — zero, 35, 75 and 150 micrograms per liter — over six days, followed by a six-day period in clean water. The fish were offered four live fathead minnows every three days, according to the article.
“In general, it took exposed bass longer [than bass not given the drug] to eat each minnow. Some bass exposed to the higher levels of fluoxetine pretty much gave up trying to capture prey by the third or fourth minnow. They really didn’t have the kind of appetite the controls had,” said Klaine.
Bass exposed to the greatest amount of the drug also behaved strangely for their species, staying at the top of the tank with their dorsal fin above the waterline or tilting to a vertical position, two actions that would make them easy targets for predators in the wild, according to the article.
Hmm... reminds me of some people around my home town, Byron Bay!
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