A new study reveals that Atlantic salmon exposed to anxiety medication during migration showed improved success in reaching their destination compared to drug-free fish. This change in behavior, attributed to increased boldness, could pose risks for future populations. Researchers indicate over 900 pharmaceutical ingredients are present in waterways globally, affecting various species. While laboratory studies have demonstrated shifts in fish behavior due to drug exposure, real-world studies are challenging. The current research involves controlled drug releases into juvenile salmon before migration, raising concerns about the long-term ecological consequences.
"On the face of it, it sounds like giving drugs to fish is beneficial," said Jack Brand, a biologist at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. "But any departure from natural behaviour is likely to have potential broad and negative consequences for the population."
Scientists have detected more than 900 drug ingredients in natural waterways around the world, from antibiotics to antidepressants. Many of these drugs…target parts of the brain shared by many different species.
In the lab, drugged fish are often more antisocial, less fearful and more prone to taking risks and finding themselves in risky situations.
Instead, he and his colleagues essentially dumped pharmaceuticals into fish just before they were set to migrate from the River Dal in Sweden to the Baltic Sea.
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