Poisoned Waters

Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Hedrick Smith spent a lot of time over the past three decades sailing, hiking, swimming and crabbing in Maryland’s majestic Chesapeake Bay. But pollution has dramatically altered the bay’s ecosystem, and fishermen pull in less than half the crabs they hauled 25 years ago. Smith’s FRONTLINE documentary Poisoned Waters airs Tuesday, April 21, from 9-11 pm on PBS. The film looks at the pollutants and toxins that threaten marine life and the humans who rely on drinking water from Chesapeake Bbay and the Puget Sound, off the coast of Seattle. Hedrick Smith joins Word of Mouth with more.

Watch a clip from Poisoned Waters about the alarming rate of "fish kills" in the rivers surrounding the Chesapeake Bay:

(Photo courtesy of Washington State Dept of Transportation via Flickr/Creative Commons)