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Red tide affects Gulf fish, officials say

Copyright 2000 Capital City Press

The Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA.)

August 17, 2000

Texas officials have spotted a red tide apparently killing fish in the Gulf of Mexico off the Sabine River.

Texas Parks and Wildlife officials observed reddish water and dead fish about 12 to 14 miles into the Gulf of Mexico off the Sabine Pass, the western border of Louisiana.

Late Wednesday, Texas fishery officials took a sample of the reddish water, but the results will not be available until Friday.

"Stressed" menhaden were observed at the surface of the Gulf about five miles offshore, "suggesting that red tide is continuing to kill fish in the area," Texas officials reported.

Louisiana Marine Consortium researchers Nancy Rabalais and Quay Dortch said they do not believe the problem is associated with low oxygen conditions that they mapped just a few weeks ago.

Texas officials notified Dortch of the problem. She specializes in researching harmful algal blooms.

Red tides are an overabundance of reddish algae that can kill fish. Dortch said she saw no discolored water during a research cruise Tuesday in the Terrebonne Bay area. She has not analyzed water samples for harmful algae, she said.

According to an e-mail message sent to LUMCON officials, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials flew over the area and observed thousands of dead fish and reddish water. The majority of dead fish were 6 to 10 inches long. Many larger dead fish, 20 to 24 inches long, are believed to be primarily black drum and a few red drum, the e-mail said. The flight over the area was prompted by a call from a fisherman who reported seeing thousands of dead black drum about 10 miles south-southeast of Sabine Pass on Saturday. Texas officials also heard reports of reddish water on Friday, the e-mail said.