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Fish with Tumor Caught in St. Lucie River Estuary
Back in 1998, thousands of fish in the St. Lucie River estuary were seen with open, bleeding sores and lesions. The lesioned fish appeared after several weeks of massive, high-volume discharges from Lake Okeechobee through the St. Luce Canal.
A fisherman recently reported catching a 12-inch sheepshead with a large, pink tumor on the side of its head. According to Joan Browder, an ecologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the grown is probably a malignant thyroid tumor. These tumors are often caused by chemicals (carcinogens) that stimulate individual cells to growth and proliferate uncontrollably.
Browder also said that fish with abnormalities increases greatly a few months following periods of high freshwater discharge from Lake O. Last year 136.1 million gallons of water from Lake Okeechobee was discharged between May and October, but none since them.
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