Male bass lay eggs in US, pollution might be cause

Only female bass is supposed to lay eggs but, atleast in one river in America, the male does too, a media report said on Saturday.

Only female bass is supposed to lay eggs but, atleast in one river in America, the male does too, a media report says.

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The South Branch of the Potomac River is as clear as bottled water in West Virginia, where it rolls over a bed of smooth stones about 230 miles upstream from Washington.

But there is a mystery beneath this glassy surface. Many of the river's male bass are producing eggs, the Washington Post reports from West Virginia.

Scientists believe this inversion of nature is being caused by pollution in the water. But they say the exact culprit is unknown.

It might be chicken estrogen left over in poultry manure, or perhaps human hormones dumped in the river with processed sewage.

While researchers look for answers in West Virginia, other scientists are testing Rock Creed (in the US capital area) and another group is seeking financal support to test the rest of the Potomac to see whether they can find the same troubling effects downstream.