The fishing event was organized by Kentucky Waterways Alliance (KWA) and UofL’s to help monitor the health of the Ohio River and its fish populations. Additional support was provided by Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (Kentucky chapter), two centers affiliated with Envirome – the Center for Healthy Air, Water and Soil and the Center for Integrative Environmental Health Sciences – along with the Falls of the Ohio Foundation and Humana Foundation.

UofL researchers and KWA arranged for laboratory testing of the channel catfish and freshwater drum caught from the Ohio River at the Clarksville, Ind. park by volunteer anglers for an array of contaminants:  heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – known as forever chemicals. Researchers then compared these laboratory results with screening values and action levels from the EPA and the FDA.

Levels of the contaminants found in the fish were generally low, with most samples falling within safe consumption thresholds. One metal that exceeded EPA recommended screening levels was selenium, a naturally occurring heavy metal that can be affected by a fish’s age and diet. PCB levels for all fish samples were well below the FDA’s consumption action level threshold of 2.0 mg/kg of fish. However, PFOS, a forever chemical, was slightly above the EPA screening level in the freshwater drum. All forever chemicals were below recommended levels in catfish samples.

“These results highlight the need for continued monitoring of contaminants and will be used to inform ongoing waterway restoration efforts and updated consumption guidelines for fish caught in the Ohio River,” said Ted Smith, director of the Center for Healthy Air, Water and Soil. “This project is a powerful example of participatory science, allowing local residents to engage directly in environmental health research and contribute to the assessment of waterway health.”

The data gained from this event will support ongoing research and advocacy for cleaner water policies, helping to ensure the long-term health and sustainability of the Ohio River, the source of drinking water for millions of people, and its ecosystems.

The idea of a fishing day to enlist local volunteers in monitoring contaminant levels in the Ohio River first arose at the Association for the Advancement of Participatory Sciences regional conference hosted by the Envirome Institute’s Center for Healthy Air, Water and Soil in the spring of 2024.

Peter Morrin and John Begley, retired UofL fine arts faculty members and community arts executives, organized the yearlong celebration of the Ohio’s impact on nature, art, history, literature, economy, culture and more, especially in Louisville and southern Indiana. They started with one exhibit because they were fascinated by underappreciated Kentucky artist, writer and environmentalist Harlan Hubbard’s watercolors but then expanded their efforts to “explore the river that fascinated him all his life,” Begley said.

“As we talked with other community groups and individuals, we found all were bound to the river in one or another way, many in multiple ways,” he added.

Several museums, galleries and academic institutions are participating, and UofL faculty and staff members have volunteered to draw from their wide-ranging specialties to lecture at various venues.

“The faculty expertise at UofL has been a real boon to Afloat and really appreciated by all the institutional hosts,” said Begley, also former director of UofL’s Hite Art Institute galleries.

“It provides an opportunity to showcase our excellent faculty and the relevance of their research to the community,” said John Gibson, director of UofL’s Commonwealth Center for the Humanities and Society. “’Afloat’ is the brainchild of Peter Morrin and John Begley, and CCHS is delighted to partner with them on this exciting initiative.”

“So far we have placed our professors at the Frazier History Museum, Historic Locust Grove, Farmington Historic Plantation, LFPL-Main Library, Falls of the Ohio State Park, with plans to arrange more faculty talks in the months to come,” Gibson said.

Here’s the current lineup of participating College of Arts and Sciences speakers, topics and venues:

• June 13 – “Work Along the River Jordan: African American River Labor in the Ohio River Valley and the Development of Black America,” David Anderson, English associate professor, 6:30 p.m., Farmington Historic Home, 3033 Bardstown Road.
• June 29 and July 16 – “The Fish in the Ohio,” Linda Fuselier, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and biology associate professor. The June talk will begin at 3 p.m. at the Falls of the Ohio State Park, 201 W. Riverside Drive in Clarksville, Indiana, and the July one will start at noon at the Carnegie Center for Art and History, 201 E. Spring St. in New Albany, Indiana.
• Aug. 25 – “Emerson, Thoreau and the River in American Art,” John Gibson, philosophy professor and CCHS director, and Alan Golding, English professor, 2 p.m., Frazier History Museum, 829 W. Main St.
• Oct. 24 – “River Stories: Mother Love on Slavery’s Border,” Susan Ryan, English professor, 6:30 p.m. at the Louisville Free Public Library’s Main Library, 301 York St.
• Nov. 6 – “Traversing Indian Diplomacy on the Ohio River,” Frank Kelderman, English assistant professor, 1:15 p.m., Locust Grove, 561 Blankenbaker Lane.

Also, during the spring semester, UofL archivist and historian Tom Owen and English faculty member Sarah Strickley participated in an April 2 panel on “The Great Flood of 1937” at the Frazier History Museum.��

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