 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Algae-munching fish clean up Chinese lake: official media
Beijing (AFP) Feb 21, 2008 Chinese authorities are using algae-munching fish to clean up one of the country's most polluted lakes -- and after their diet of toxins they will be sold on to consumers, state media said Thursday. More than 50,000 silver carp fry have been introduced into Chaohu lake and another 1.55 million will be added in the next 20 days, said Wu Changjun, from the Chaohu Fishery Administration, according to the Xinhua news agency. Each carp is expected to have gobbled between 40 and 50 kilogrammes (88 to 100 pounds) of blue algae when it reaches its adult weight, with each chomp of the sludge helping to clean up the toxic lake, the report added. Once the carp have matured, fishermen will be able to catch them and sell them in markets, at a price 15 times their original cost, giving a boost to the local fishing industry, according to Xinhua. Chaohu, China's fifth biggest lake in the nation's eastern Anhui province, was last year overcome by the blue-green foul-smelling algae, threatening water supplies and destroying life in the lake. The algae has led to a decline of 20 percent in the lake's whitebait stocks, one of the local fishing industry's key catches, Xinhua said Thursday. Hundreds of factories discharge their waste into Chaohu. More than 70 percent of China's waterways and 90 percent of its underground water are contaminated, according to government figures, often as the result of years of untreated sewage discharge and industrial pollution. The environmental woes have had led to problems with the nation's food supply, with some of those toxic foods making their way into exports that have contributed to the recent tarnishing of the "Made in China" brand. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Water News - Science, Technology and Politics
Cleaner Water Through Nanotechnology
Adelaide, Australia (SPX) Feb 21, 2008Tiny particles of pure silica coated with an active material could be used to remove toxic chemicals, bacteria, viruses, and other hazardous materials from water much more effectively and at lower cost than conventional water purification methods, according to researchers writing in the current issue of the International Journal of Nanotechnology. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
