TITLE: Red tide killing fish along San Jose Island
BYLINE: Associated Press
EST. PAGES: 1
DATE: 09/25/97
DOCID: AAS740373
SOURCE: Austin American-Statesman; AAS
PAGE: B9
ORIGIN: SAN JOSE ISLAND
(Copyright 1997)
SAN JOSE ISLAND -- A bloom of red tide algae is being blamed
for the deaths of thousands of fish along the Gulf of Mexico,
including hundreds found this week on a six-mile stretch of San
Jose Island.
Red tide is a microscopic algae that attacks the nervous systems
of fish and creates a reddish tint in sea water. Eating infected
fish can cause stomach cramps and diarrhea in humans, and airborne
toxins can cause watery eyes and breathing discomfort. State
scientists this week found hundreds of dead fish on San Jose
Island, just northeast of Aransas Pass, that they think were
infected by red tide.
``We've got verification that we had red tide cells in the
water (off San Jose Island), and some of the people out there
were feeling discomfort with coughing,'' said Larry McEachron,
science director for Coastal Fisheries Division of the Texas
Parks and Wildlife Department.
State officials said Tuesday that they also suspect that red
tide killed thousands of the small menhaden fish at Sargent Beach
on the Matagorda Peninsula last week.
The red tide algae bloomed last week near Port O'Connor where
a smaller fish kill was discovered near Pass Cavallo.
Tony Amos, an oceanographer at the University of Texas Marine Science Center in Port Aransas, said little is known about what triggers a bloom of red tide. Favorable conditions include warmer than usual water of low salinity, Amos said.