The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commissionhas confirmed a cancerous tumor on the mouth of a smallmouth bass caught last fall. In an announcement on Monday, the PFBC said that a malignant, or cancerous, tumor on a single smallmouth bass caught in the Susquehanna River by an angler late last year was confirmed after conducting two independent laboratory tests.

This type of tumor has been documented for the first time on the fish in Pennsylvania. The agency said that it is very rare to come across growths and tumors on fish in Pennsylvania and throughout the US, but they do occur.

PFBC Executive Director John Arway said in a new release that the findings must not be trivialized as suggests the health of the fish residing in the Susquehanna River is being compromised.

"As we continue to study the river, we find young-of-year and now adult bass with sores, lesions and more recently a cancerous tumor, all of which continue to negatively impact population levels and recreational fishing", he said. The evidence is strong enough to do something for the fish.

Dr. Karen Murphy, acting Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, said human health does not have any risk from carcinomas in fish, but it's better to avoid consuming fish that have visible signs of sores and lesions.

The PFBC wants the state Department of Environmental Protection to add the river to the state's bi-annual list of impaired waterways. Arway said that it will provide a significant help in developing a restoration plan. The river has been facing challenges since 2005 and more evidence has now been provided to further the case for impairment.

Pennsylvania may face the risk of losing smallmouth bass fishery if nothing is done to improve the water quality in the Susquehanna River.