A taste for bullfrogs threatens West Coast amphibians

[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/EW-06-08-12-Frogs-II.mp3|titles=EW 06-08-12 Frogs (II)]

Bullfrogs are in demand in metropolitan food markets, where they are sautéed and used in stir fries in Asian cuisine. While these frogs are native to North America, they are not native to the West Coast. In California alone, millions of bullfrogs are imported annually from factory farms in China, Taiwan, Uruguay, and Brazil.

On the surface of things, there is nothing shocking about importing captive-raised animals to meet local appetites. But a problem with the American bullfrog trade is invisible to the naked eye.

A high percentage of imported bullfrogs carry a virulent fungus called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis or BD. Harmless to humans and tolerated by bullfrogs, BD is decimating less fortunate amphibians, like the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog, which has seen its population reduced by 75%.

A study done by disease ecologist Dr. Lisa Schloegel found that some 62% of fresh-bought frogs from Asian markets in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York were infected with the BD fungus.

BD is spread when infected animals shed spores into lakes and streams. The fungus causes a thickening of the skin on amphibians that leads to cardiac arrest in sensitive animals.

In 2012, California’s Fish and Game Commission unanimously voted to stop issuing permits for the importation of live frogs for food. But the measure was stopped during a reconsideration hearing convened at the request of citizens that felt the measure was an assault on cultural heritage.

We need to find a way to balance culinary preferences with the health of our nation’s amphibians.