TITLE: Red tide kills fish in S. Texas again, fouling beaches, sickening vacationers Businesses say outbreak not affecting them much

BYLINE: Karen Hastings

CREDIT: Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

EST. PAGES: 2

DATE: 10/05/97

DOCID: DAL1697988

SOURCE: The Dallas Morning News; DAL

EDITION: HOME FINAL; SECTION: NEWS; PAGE: 26A

ORIGIN: SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas

(Copyright 1997)

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas - When Shawn Whitehead and her traveling companion finally arrived last Sunday night on the island, they headed straight for the balcony of their surfside condominium for a little Merlot, a little gulf breeze, a little romantic moonlight.

What they both got instead was a persistent cough. "I said, `Do you think it's the wine?' Then we went for a walk on the beach, and it just got worse," said Ms. Whitehead, a sales manager for a Maryland new homes company. "And it smelled so bad - like dead fish."

Unfortunately for Ms. Whitehead and scores of other disappointed South Padre Island beachgoers last week, their quest for late summer sun was spoiled by an odor of decay, annoying respiratory irritations and beaches fouled by thousands of dead and dying fish.

Good-bye summer, hello red tide.

Scientists say South Texas beaches are in the grip of red tide, caused by a microscopic algae bloom that attacks fish and streaks the water a telltale dark crimson.

Toxins from the one-celled algae can kill fish and even sicken humans who eat contaminated filter-feeder species such as oysters, clams and mussels. The red tide algae also can cause respiratory symptoms when it's stirred up by the surf.

Late last week, fish carcasses still littered South Padre beaches, despite the town's overtime attempts to keep them raked up and carted off. Also, a state ban on clam, mussel and oyster harvesting still was in effect.

Reports from biologists on Thursday were more upbeat, suggesting that this red tide - unlike the outbreak in 1996 - appears to be moderate and does not appear to be moving into the Laguna Madre.

In the midst of a post-summer, pre-Winter Texan slow season anyway, South Padre Island merchants and hoteliers also report it hasn't seriously affected their business - yet.

"People are asking a lot of questions. They don't want to go out in the surf to fish when it's uncomfortable for them - the smell and the coughing," said Calvin Byrd, owner of the Quick Stop bait and tackle shop just across the Queen Isabella Causeway from the island.

"This won't necessarily hurt us very much," Mr. Byrd said. "But only time will tell."

For Mr. Byrd, the red tide is of double concern because his family also has been operating B&A Seafoods for some 35 years.

"I had a half dozen calls yesterday - is it safe to buy flounder? Now, how many of those people took our word for it and came on in, I don't know," Mr. Byrd said. "Even my mother told me last night she heard you can get sick from eating the fish. I told her it's just that kind of misinformation that scares people."

At Rovan's, which serves more pancakes and barbecue than seafood suppers, owner John Boyd said there's worse things for the tourism industry than red tide.

"I swim every day and I'm still alive," said Mr. Boyd. "The only events we're scared of down here are hurricanes and oil spills. And jellyfish. That creates more havoc with tourists than this {red tide}does. Trust me."

Over at Jim's Pier, where charter boat captain Gib Little was expertly filleting a client's morning catch of redfish, the word is that sport fishing has actually improved with the tide. Mr. Little speared a small mullet from the leftovers of one redfish to illustrate his point.

"See that? The small species affected by the red tide slowly die and, while they're flopping around, it makes a feeding frenzy out there," he said with a laugh. "Longest chum line you can imagine. Excellent fishing - right in the middle of the dead fish from the red tide."

William J. McLaughlin Jr., who was visiting the island from Glens Falls, N.Y., said red tide wouldn't stop him from having an island restaurant prepare his catch for that night's dinner.

"It doesn't bother me at all," he said. "What bothers me are the ones that got away."

Island restaurants like the Gulf Coast Oyster Bar, which regularly grill "setups" for visiting anglers like Mr. McLaughlin, report their business is up over last week. "I've done 61 setups in the last three days, so it hasn't slowed down at all," said Oyster Bar co-owner Ben Romero. "If they ask, I just tell them we get our oysters from Louisiana, so there's no need to worry."

For the most part, island merchants who experienced last year's red tide say they don't expect it to be around long enough to cause any great harm. They're just hoping it disappears before too many tourists like the Sheppard family of Plano get home with their vacation snapshots.

"We're on our second box of Kleenex," Sharon Sheppard said from a nearly deserted noontime beach. As she wiped an irritated nose, 6-month-old Kristen, napping on her lap, woke up to cough briefly and then settled down once again. Her other two young children played among the dead fish at the water's edge.

"We claimed this area and cleared {the dead fish}off so the kids could play," business consultant Gary Sheppard said with a dejected shake of his head.

"But it looks like we're going to have to do it again," Mrs. Sheppard finished for him, "Cause they keep washing ashore."

The family arrived unaware Sunday, not long after the red tide first appeared.

"It's already paid for, there's not much we can do," Mrs. Sheppard shrugged. "Matthew is 21/2. We just tell him: 'Don't pet the fish.' "

Karen Hastings is a free-lance writer in Harlingen, Texas.

ART: MAP(S): (DMN) Red tide fouls beaches.