Copyright 1998 The Tribune Co. Publishes The Tampa Tribune
The Tampa Tribune
April 13, 1998, Monday, FINAL EDITION
SECTION: NATION/WORLD, Pg. 1
LENGTH: 980 words
HEADLINE: Mystery illness plagues birds
BYLINE: JAN HOLLINGSWORTH; of The Tampa Tribune
DATELINE: TIERRA VERDE
BODY:
Something is killing Florida's seabirds. Among the suspects:
pollution, toxic microbes and El Nino.
The loon was apparently trying to get from the bay side of
the Pinellas Bayway to the Gulf.
But the bird - which got hit by a car and was found in the
median - had no business on land.
"Loons' legs are made for swimming, not walking. Something
was going on before she got hit to make her do that," said
Lee Fox, who is tending the injured bird at the Pinellas Seabird
Rehabilitation Center on Tierra Verde.
Something is apparently going on with seabirds all over the
state, where loons, pelicans, gannets and other fish-eating species
are washing up on coastal beaches at alarming rates.
Hundreds of dead and dying birds have been reported from Amelia
Island to Brevard County.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating, but has
not yet found a cause.
Another die-off in Martin County has researchers looking into
the possibility that those deaths might be linked to diseased
fish in the area. Again, the victims are primarily loons, pelicans
and gannets.
The state Department of Environmental Protection has confirmed
the presence of a toxic microbe in the Indian River that may be
causing mullet to develop open, bleeding sores.
The organism - cryptoperidiniopsis - is a near dead-ringer
for pfiesteria piscicida, a microbe that has been blamed for fish
kills and human illness in coastal waters from Chesapeake Bay
to North Carolina.
The Crypto organism also was found in those locations, as well
as in the St. Johns River near Jacksonville - another Florida
hot spot to find fish with lesions.
As for the birds, there are no consistent findings, said Marilyn
Spalding, an avian biologist with the University of Florida School
of Veterinary Medicine who is looking into the Martin County deaths.
"Some have parasites or hooks and sinkers. Others are
emaciated," she said.
It's not uncommon to have birds dying during the winter, said
Terry Doonan, a biologist for the state Game and Fresh Water Fish
Commission who is tracking the deaths on Florida's northeastern
coast.
"We do seem to have an unusual number this year. But we
have had unusual weather conditions, too," said Doonan.
A relentless wave of El Nin o-driven storms in recent months
could have weakened the birds and made them more susceptible to
disease, he said.
Surviving birds near Jacksonville appear to have been stripped
of the natural oils that coat their feathers and protect them
from cold winter waters. The emaciated birds may have been reluctant
to plunge into cold waters to feed.
Some bird rehabilitators suggest that certain chemicals, like
foam used to fight fires, has been known to deplete the birds'
protective coating.
Although there has not been a reported spill that would have
affected so widespread an area, pollution has not been ruled out
as a contributing factor.
"We need to see what sort of test results we get back
to see if any birds have been killed because of a toxic substance
in the water," Doonan said.
There is another explanation for the lack of oil in the birds'
feathers, he said. A weakened bird may not preen, which distributes
oil to the feathers.
A bird that has been buffeted by storms, unable to feed in
its normal pattern, not only is more susceptible to parasites
and infection but is not preening properly - which can lead to
a downward spiral.
"Maybe what we're seeing this year is the sum of all these
probabilities showing up on the beaches," said Doonan.
In the Tampa Bay area, as well as the Panhandle, loons are
the only seabirds that appear to be suffering ill effects in notable
numbers.
The Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary in Madeira Beach has taken in
107 loons since January, compared with a total of 99 in 1997,
said hospital supervisor Barbara Suto.
At least 100 dead loons have washed up on Panhandle beaches.
The number could easily be two or three times that many, said
Jeff Gore, a wildlife biologist for the state Game and Fresh Water
Fish Commission.
"Our coastline is not developed and people don't see the
beach on a great majority of it," he said.
Some of the local loon casualties are no mystery, said Suto:
The birds are prime targets for personal watercraft operators
who deliberately try to mow them down.
Unlike pelicans, which take to the air, the loons dive beneath
the surface - sometimes not fast enough to avoid lethal propeller
blades.
Others, like the loon that didn't make it across the Pinellas
Bayway, appear to be suffering from disease or poisoning.
Blood tests confirmed the bird's liver and kidneys weren't
functioning properly, Fox said.
Loons are also known to have high levels of toxic mercury in
their bodies, apparently from gorging on fish in contaminated
Northern waters before flying south for the winter. Weakened by
the migration and weather conditions, the poison may begin to
take its toll in Florida, she said.
"No one really understands those different components
and what's going on," said Gore. "We have loons die
every year. Some years it's more than others."
While several hundred loons may have been affected statewide,
the number does not compare to the great loon die-off in the winter
of 1983, where more than 4,000 of the birds washed up on beaches
throughout the Southeast.
Researchers back then were no more successful than those today
in finding a common explanation for the phenomenon.
The conclusion in 1983 pointed at a combination of parasites,
toxins and a depleted food source, said Suto.
"They could not come up with a definitive answer. It was
very frustrating for everyone involved," she said. Jan Hollingsworth
reports on environmental issues. She can be reached at (813) 259-7607.
Read about more environmental issues on The Tampa Tribune's website
at http://tampatrib.com/news/enviro.htm
GRAPHIC: PHOTO (C),
(C) Lee Fox of Tierra Verde works with an injured loon in her
garage. State animal-health workers say they don't understand
what is making seabirds across Florida sick. FRED FOX, Tribune
photo
LOAD-DATE: April 14, 1998