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Delaware to Probe Whether Pfiesteria Microbe Caused Fish Kill

Yahoo News
Tuesday July 11 10:41 AM ET

WILMINGTON, Del, Jul 11 (Reuters) - Delaware authorities said late Monday they were investigating a fish kill to see if was caused by the toxic Pfiesteria microbe, which in 1997 jeopardized tourism and fishing in the Eastern Shore region.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) issued an advisory against any contact with the waters of the Pepper Creek as it flows from the town of Dagsboro, in southernmost Delaware, to the Indian River Inlet in the state's coastal area.

DNREC said "a significant number" of the thousands of dead juvenile menhaden found on Monday had the Pfiesteria-like lesions thought to cause symptoms like memory loss, confusion, and skin rashes.

"We are concerned because this is the first time Delaware has found lesions associated with a fish kill and we want to take every precaution to ensure the public's health," said Roy Miller of the Division of Fish and Wildlife in a statement.

Researchers believe Pfiesteria converts from a harmless microbe into a toxic one in the presence of tidal waters polluted with nutrients, like chicken manure, and under conditions of increased temperature and salinity.

After the 1997 breakouts in the Chesapeake and coastal bay areas of Maryland and Virginia, Maryland became the first state to limit the use of chicken manure as a farm fertilizer, followed by Delaware and Virginia.

DNREC has sent water samples from Pepper Creek to unnamed laboratories for analysis. The state Divisions of Public Health (DPH) and of Agriculture are working with local doctors and hospitals. To date there have been no confirmed cases of Pfiesteria-related illnesses, health officials said.

No one at DNREC or DPH could be reached for comment.