Lake Memphremagog

Transmissible Cancer Found in Freshwater Fish

UVM researchers have identified a transmissible cancer—melanoma—in brown bullhead catfish from Lake Memphremagog, the first such cancer documented in a freshwater fish. Genome analysis shows the cancer cells spread like parasites among fish, with about a third of the local population affected and no human risk, while transmission may be linked to spawning and environmental factors.