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Tuesday, September 30, 1997

Health officials extend ban on molluscan shellfish

By PAULINE ARRILLAGA Associated Press Writer

HARLINGEN, Texas (AP) - State health officials Monday extended a ban of clam, mussel and oyster harvesting to the lower Texas coast in the wake of a red tide outbreak that has killed millions of fish in past weeks.

Meanwhile, wildlife officials tested water samples and flew over the coastline to try to determine where the algae might spread next.

"No one has a clue as to what's going to happen. No one can even second-guess this thing," said Larry McEachron, science director for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's Coastal Fisheries Division.

Red tide is a bloom of microscopic algae that attacks the nervous systems of fish and creates a reddish tint in seawater. Its toxins can kill many fish species, but only infected clams, mussels and oysters are unsafe for human consumption, state health officials said.

"Clams, mussels and oysters concentrate the toxin. When people consume those, the toxin can make them ill," said Kirk Wiles, assistant director of the Division of Seafood Safety at the Texas Department of Health.

Systems include nausea, dizziness, tingling sensations in the extremities and dilated pupils. Illness can last several days but is not usually fatal, Wiles said. Airborne toxins also can cause nose, throat and eye irritations.

Red tide was spotted several weeks ago off the coast of Port O'Connor, then moved south in the Gulf of Mexico to San Jose Island, where 2-1/2 million fish washed ashore last week.

Although it has since dissipated in those areas, the red tide has spread to the lower coast, where about 90,000 more fish were found dead over the weekend from the south end of Padre Island National Seashore to South Padre Island.

In response to the movement, state health officials extended a ban on clam, mussel and oyster harvesting from the upper coast down to South Padre Island, Wiles said. Only Galveston Bay is excluded.

Although commercial oyster harvesting does not start until Nov. 1, Wiles said recreational fishermen may be catching infected fish.

"We are warning people not to consume clams, mussels and oysters from any of those waters," he said. "This includes recreational harvesters or people who eat brown edible mussels off the jetties from Port Aransas south to South Padre Island."

If the red tide persists and spreads into the Texas bay system, health officials may be forced to suspend commercial oyster harvesting as well, Wiles said.

"It'll depend on the circumstances we see over the next several weeks," Wiles said. "We'll be monitoring how long the red tide stays and where it goes."

An outbreak of red tide last year killed up to 4 million fish and prompted health officials to ban commercial oyster harvesting for several months. The last major outbreak in Texas occurred in 1986 and killed 22 million fish over four months.

As state officials monitor this latest outbreak, they are urging tourists who plan to visit the Texas coast to keep their plans.

"People shouldn't put off their vacations," McEachron said. "There's no major problem at this point in time. And there's a lot of coast, a lot of places to go."

Monday's fly over revealed that red tide is visible in the Gulf of Mexico beginning 34 miles north of Port Mansfield south to Port Isabel, said Dave Buzan of Texas Parks and Wildlife.

However, officials spotted no red tide in the water off of South Padre Island, even though hundreds of dead fish washed ashore there over the weekend. Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
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