The report begins: "The millions of sardines that were found floating dead in a Southern California marina this week tested positive for a powerful neurotoxin, researchers said Friday."
Dead sardines cover the water's surface at the Redondo Beach marina in Southern California, 03/08/11. (photo: Reuters)
Neurotoxin Found in Dead Fish at LA Area Harbor
13 March 11
he millions of sardines that were found floating dead in a Southern California marina this week tested positive for a powerful neurotoxin, researchers said Friday.
High levels of domoic acid were found in the sardines, which may have distressed them off the Los Angeles coastline and caused them to swim into the Redondo Beach marina, University of Southern California biologist David Caron wrote in a summary of his laboratory's findings which were reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Caron said that he still believes that critically low oxygen levels in the water caused the sardines to suffocate, but it's possible the toxin may have been one explanation for why they crowded into the marina.
The California Department of Fish and Game has blamed the die-off on oxygen deprivation and is also testing fish for toxins at its animal forensics laboratory. Results are not expected until next week.
Domoic acid is often found in the stomach of fish that have been feeding on plankton during toxic algae blooms. The toxin has been linked to neurological disorders, illnesses and deaths in seabirds, sea lions, sea otters and whales.
Caron's lab is working to determine if the poisoning was caused by a toxic algae bloom spotted off Redondo Beach on Wednesday.
The presence of the toxin in the sardines could lead to health complications for pelicans, gulls and other sea life that have been feasting on the dead fish.
"There were tons of birds feeding on these fish and it's conceivable that we'll see some bird mortality as a result," Caron said.
The fish died late Monday and carpeted the water's surface the next morning, stacking up to 2 feet deep in some places. Crews have already scooped and hauled away more than 85 tons of fish to a composting center where they will turn into fertilizer.
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Comments
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And that fertilizer will put neurotoxins into the plants we eat.
Brilliant!!!
If the fish died of toxins and they will be turned into fertilizer, won't that contaminate the ground and the food that is grown in it?
Leave it to an Aggie.. Just look up Neurotoxin's on Wiki and remember the dude the news hardly talked about, found in a dumpster.. He was going to tell on a company. Joseph p. Wheeler III.. It's what you don't know that gets ya.. It's what you ignore that kills ya... So, just ignore all of this and it will go away.. Sure thing. Formally, Cpl. Pierson 101st Airborne, Vietnam
Climate change is all in our heads!!!
We have heads?? What's in them?? Do we use what ever it is?? Of course not.. If it's not effecting you. We don't worrying then do we? C0l. Pierson, 101 Airborne, & Son of the American Revolution. Are we really going to start having to use our own minds?? Oh no Mr. Bill!
The real problem here isn't the neurotoxins. It's the fact that these fish are dying from eating algae that have gotten out of control, because that's what happens when water doesn't have enough oxygen in it. The lack of oxygen is another sign of global warming that is causing these dead zones all over the ocean. It's basically the same thing that happens in an aquarium with exotic fish and a filter that isn't working properly. You wouldn't want to drink that water, but it would be safe to put in your garden.
In other words, the neurotoxin is just a symptom of the real disaster. I don't think they pose a threat to the soil. I think they'll break down easily, like other plant material. On the other hand, what does this say about eating fish?
Like I said, I'm not sure about any of this. I could be wrong. I'm no expert, so don't think I'm trying to correct any of you. Sometimes it appears that the "experts" aren't experts either when it comes to dealing with the environmental impact of human polution. That's why repugs pretend there is no impact.
I am sure the Union of Concerned Scientists will have information.
Problem is if it is contaminated waste...how will we be able to trace it to where it is used? Industry does not care now what it uses, FDA certainly is not upholding any Laws. Hope RSN does a follow up.
A good friend of a friend of mine was head litigator for the E.P.A.. An extremely bright, real McCoy expert, she for years pulled her hair out in utter frustration as she was barred from enforcing the aforementioned regulations.
So, yes indeed there are phoney baloney 'experts', also known as puppets for the villainaires, but there are and have been real McCoy experts whose hands have been tied and mouths forcibly shut. And, goodness knows, the 'mess' media far too often does not investigate and report truthfully re. environmental concerns, true costs, both in monetary and respect loss, and in loss of human lives, from our oh so profitable for a few, constant and ongoing warmode. And look what's happening now to Brad Manning for attempting to share the truth with us.
But, get ready, villainaires. More and more of we the sheeple nationwide are catching onto all the Koch sucking, and we're waking up and getting ready to...UNDO THE COUP!
What I'm saying is that, the industries that own our government are performing an experiment with our food chain. The variables in this experiment are so numerous that it's impossible predict what the final outcome will be. Opportunistic repugs take that fact out of context and run with it, pretending we don't even know if we're doing any harm. It's a paper thin lie, but it passes for truth to millions of Americans too dumb to question it. Afterall, science in general, isn't taken very seriously in this country, unless it's needed to fix our TV reception. We KNOW industry is causing uprecedented damage to our environment. We KNOW it WILL have a negative impact on our food supply. These things aren't up for debate, BUT until the EXACT nature of the catastrophe we're creating is known (in hindsight), the repug manipulation will be that we can't do ANYTHING about it. The patron saint of deniability - ronnie raygun, was the first repug (I think) to use this strategy, and the m.s.m. buys it every time.
This is what irritates me about some liberals falling for the national "libertarian" enema ron paul is proposing. Environmental regulation is something we can't afford to do without.
And a note to Billy Bob, LIBERALS do NOT agree with deregulation.
I can't tell you how many arguments I've had on this web site with people telling me that there's no difference between Democrat and republiklan and the only way to undo the deadlock is to hand over our country to the paul family to play with.
Personally, I think most of the comments are from RANT himself.
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