Smallmouth bass that draw hundreds of millions of dollars to the Chesapeake Bay region for sport fishing are sick.
A report released Thursday by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation says the fish, particularly those in the lower Susquehanna River, have been struck by pollution, parasites, disease and endocrine disrupters that are changing the sex of males.
The catch rates of adult bass fell 80 percent between 2001 and 2005 in some areas of the Susquehanna River, the report said, citing a study by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.