Copyright 1998 Palm Beach Newspaper, Inc.
The Palm Beach Post
March 20, 1998, Friday, FINAL EDITION
SECTION: A SECTION, Pg. 1A
LENGTH: 622 words
HEADLINE: GROWING FISH KILL BLAMED ON TINY ALGAE
BYLINE: Chuck McGinness, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
DATELINE: MIAMI
BODY:
It's called ''Crypto'' for short, and it may spell death for
fish in a slowly growing area along Florida's east coast.
State scientists confirmed Thursday the toxic microscopic algae
Cryptoperidiniopsis is the primary suspect behind dead fish turning
up in increasing numbers along the Treasure Coast and parts north.
Sick, lesion-covered fish were first discovered March 2 in
the St. Lucie River. Since then, mullet, snook, jack crevale and sheepshead
with oozing sores have been found from Melbourne in Brevard County to Hobe Sound.
Cryptoperidiniopsis was identified in water samples taken from
the St. Lucie Estuary, said Jan Landsberg, research administrator at the Florida
Marine Research Institute in St. Petersburg. The same algae is believed
to have afflicted fish in the St. Johns River last summer.
And it was found in waters where massive fish kills occurred
last year in North Carolina and the Chesapeake Bay area in Maryland, although
Pfiesteria piscicida, a close cousin of Crypto, was blamed for those kills.
Pfiesteria has not been found in Florida waters.
''It's very crucial to know what species we're dealing with,''
Landsberg said at a meeting of the Harmful Algal Bloom Task Force at the University
of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. ''Then, it's
more clearly understood what threats are posed to fish health and human health.''
What scientists don't know is how Cryptoperidiniopsis affects
fish. In coming months, they will study Crypto, in part to find out how toxic
it is, as well as lesion-afflicted fish.
They believe the algae plays a part in causing the lesions
on the fish, but other bacteria and fungi are responsible for the severity of the
disease.
They also don't know how Crypto got into the St. Lucie River
and surrounding waters.
The algae may be in the water all of the time, it could be
in sediment on the river bottom, or it may be related to runoff of pesticides and
fertilizers from farmland, biologists say.
It's possible heavy releases of fresh water from Lake Okeechobee
into the St. Lucie River stirred up the algae, biologists say.
The dead fish have no obvious internal ailments, Landsberg
said.
Landsberg said there have been unconfirmed reports of lesions
on ocean fish, including tuna, dolphin, wahoo, Spanish mackerel, and blacktip
and spinner sharks. No diseased shellfish or animals have been found, she
said.
Scientists were quick to emphasize no people have had health
problems related to the sick fish. ''It's a fish event, not a human event,'' said
deputy state epidemiologist Steven Wiersma.
Still, people are advised not to eat diseased fish or swim
in waters where they are found. Also, those who touch fish with lesions should
wash their hands with a bleach solution.
To report fish with lesions or dead fish, call the state Department
of Environmental Protection hot line toll-free at (800) 636-0511.
What's making the fish sick?
The Cryptoperidiniopsis algae has been blamed for fish kills
on Maryland's Eastern Shore and in North Carolina, yet scientists know little
about the one-celled organism.
Deadly alga
Scientists know little about the one-celled organism Cryptoperidiniopsis, an
alga that has been found in the St. Lucie River. It's related
to the toxin-emitting microorganism Pfiesteria piscicida, which has
been blamed for fish kills and human illnesses on Maryland's Eastern Shore and
in North Carolina. Fishermen and lab researchers exposed to Pfiesteria
have complained of skin lesions, memory loss and cognitive dysfunction. Studies
published in December in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal showed
exposure can also cause temporary learning deficits.
NOTES:
Ran all editions. Info box at end of text.
GRAPHIC: PHOTO (C) & MAP (C), 1. JASON NUTTLE/Staff Photographer,
These striped and silver mullet with open lesions were found recently at a Sewall's
Point dock., 2. SEAN TEVIS/Staff Artist, Area of diseased fish
LOAD-DATE: March 21, 1998