Study finds rare contagious cancer in catfish from Quebec and U.S. lakes
Contagious catfish cancer may be spreading in Quebec-Vermont fish, study finds See how researchers traced the rare melanoma and what it could mean for anglers
A genetic study has found evidence that melanoma tumours in brown bullhead catfish from Quebec and the northeastern United States may be spreading between fish, a rare form of contagious cancer.
The research, published Wednesday in Nature, focuses on catfish in Lake Memphremagog, which sits on the QuebecVermont border. Scientists first noticed the black spots and lumps in 2012, and about onethird of the fish in the lake are now thought to be affected.
Researchers have not yet directly proven the tumours can be transmitted from one fish to another, but the genetic findings suggest the cancer cells are more similar to each other than to the fish carrying them. Officials in Quebec advise against eating fish with tumours, while researchers continue testing how the disease spreads and whether environmental factors may be involved.