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Fish kills forces closing of Maryland river
August 8, 1997
Web posted at: 11:49 p.m. EDT (0349 GMT)In this story:
SHELLTOWN, Maryland (CNN) -- Thousands of fish have died since Wednesday along a five-mile stretch of the Pocomoke River on Maryland's Eastern Shore. But no one is quite sure what's killing them.
Maryland scientists are testing the water and have performed necropsies on the fish, but the results are far from complete. While it may be tempting to suppose the villain is an oil spill, chemical pollution or perhaps pollutants washed into the river from an estuary, in this case it isn't true.
CNN's Jonathan Aiken reports from Shelltown, Maryland
1 min., 49 sec. VXtreme streaming video
Instead, initial indications are that the fish are being killed by a natural organism, a particularly virulent one known as pfiesteria piscicida. Pfiesteria is a microorganism that can cause sores and lesions in fish, and a number of disfigured fish have been caught in the Pocomoke near Shelltown.
Pfiesteria's not new. Scientists think it may have been responsible for the deaths of up to a billion fish in North Carolina over the last few years.
Just the threat of it has been enough for Maryland officials to close the stretch of the Pocomoke indefinitely. Not just to fishermen, either, but to
water-skiers and swimmers as well.Menhaden most at risk
"This is indefinite," said Curtis Dickson, the Somerset County health officer who signed the order Thursday. "When the state agencies advise us there is no longer a potential public health threat, we will lift the order."
About 3,000 to 11,000 menhaden have died since Wednesday. The menhaden is a small fish about the size of a hand that is not caught to eat, but to be ground up and used in a variety of domestic products, from cosmetics to margarine.
Fisherman have been told to get their traps out of the river and that anything caught in the Pocomoke this week has to be tossed back. Fishermen are complying with the orders, some of them grudgingly.
Crab trappers say what's killing the fish isn't killing the crabs, and they're being forced to throw money away.
"I had to throw back $300 worth of crabs today," says one. "Plus, I had to pay a man, so you're talking $400."
Crabs may not be affected by what is ailing the fish, but people have been. At least eight fishermen and several recreational swimmers have been examined for lesions on their skin. They have also complained about headaches.
Crabs, rockfish, bass unaffected
Maryland's natural resource officials say there's no immediate threat to public safety, and the crabs, rockfish and bass this region is known for are safe to eat.
But something is killing the fish, and until scientists find out what it is, the waters many fishermen know like the backs of their hands are off-limits.
Natural Resources Secretary John Griffin said he hopes to have preliminary results from water and fish samples by early next week. Until then, Shelltown's fishermen must travel a few miles south and try their luck in unrestricted, and less familiar, waters.
Reporter Johnathan Aiken contributed to this report.
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