Bluegill Fish Enlisted in the Fight Against Terror Attacks
by Eric Kane, New York, NY on 09. 7.06
Here at TreeHugger, we report on a variety of technologies that will aid in a transition toward a more sustainable future. Seldom do these advances overlap with those being made in the arena of terrorism prevention. However, the following development seems to be one of those rare instances where the two sectors meet. Intelligent Automation Corp. has developed a system that employs Bluegill fish to detect the presence of hazardous chemicals in a water supply. The system works by diverting water samples from a river or reservoir through a small aquarium containing eight Bluegill fish. The fish, which will respond to any variation in water quality, are monitored remotely. If an inconsistency is detected, officials can be alerted 72 hours before the water reaches the public. Samples can then be taken for further analysis. The $110,000 systems are currently being used by New York and San Francisco.
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I've seen a prototype of this device. I believe it works like the canary in the mine. The fish are put into these tiny individual holding chambers not even big enough for them to turn around. The water to be monitored flows through the chambers. If any of the fish show signs of stress, the water is then tested via other means to see what is wrong.
thats the first thing i thought of as well, the canary in the mine thing. We can add this "technology" to the testing on animals category. I wonder if we have any PITA readers?
definitely have PITA readers.
Do they eat them afterwards? They're yummy little buggers!