Mr. Bluegill - Counter Terrorism Unit

In the Washington Post today, an article explains how Bluegill are helping to fight terrorism.

Small numbers of the fish are kept in tanks constantly replenished with water from the municipal supply, and sensors in each tank work around the clock to register changes in the breathing, heartbeat and swimming patterns of the bluegills that occur in the presence of toxins.

So far they have detected over 30 toxic chemicals since 2002 and continue to guard the municipal water systems of San Francisco, New York, Washington and other big cities. Unfortunately, they currently don't have the skills to prevent the bombing of water mains and computers that control the water supply from being hacked, but they're working on it.

So next time you catch a Bluegill, don't forget to say "thank you".

photo taken from: http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/bluegill.htm