Water Toxins Blamed for Turtle Deaths

Hundreds of small turtles have washed up dead on the eastern end of Long Island, a die-off scientists blame on waterborne toxinsthat have reached unprecedented levels for reasons that aren't entirelyclear

Necropsies on some of the more than 200 diamondback terrapins found on the island's North Fork point to saxitoxin, a biotoxin produced in algae blooms that has been found in the water at 10 times the normal level. The poison collects in shellfish, which are eaten by the turtles in brackish bays and estuaries, quickly causing paralysis and death.

"We're seeing bodies washing up in perfect condition. This has never happened before. It's an alarming thing," said Karen Testa, executive director of Turtle Rescue of the Hamptons, whose volunteers have collected dozens of the dead turtles and sent them to state officials for analysis.

She says all signs point to saxitoxin.

"There's no other explanation for what's causing the die-off of these poor animals," she said. "It's a horrible way to go."

Christopher Gobler, a professor at Stony Brook University's School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences who has studied algal blooms off Long Island for more than 20 years, said saxitoxin is normally detected in the region's waters, but he has never seen saxitonin this high and never seen it cause such a wildlife die-off.

Red algae blooms produce the saxitoxin, which state officials have called a "dangerous neurotoxin" that can damage or impair nerve tissue. Shellfish filter the toxic algae cells from the water and when other creatures chomp down on the shellfish, they can become paralyzed.

Saxitoxin can also cause paralytic shellfish poisoning in humans, which typically results in numbness and tightening in the face and a loss of co-ordination. In most cases, patients make a full recovery in a few days, but rare cases have resulted in death.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 30 cases of poisoning by marine toxins are reported each year, but officials have been unable to pinpoint a precise number because there is no requirement that health care providers report the illnesses. The CDC says an average of one person dies every four years from toxic seafood poisoning.

Suffolk County has never had a reported case of illness or death related to saxitoxin, Assistant Deputy County Executive Justin Meyers said. However, he said there is a "long-term potential threat to public health" if the saxitoxin levels continue to rise.

Meyers said county and state officials had advised people not to consume shellfish from the area and enacted a shellfishing ban for three creeks and bays. The county health department also advised against swimming in discolored water.

A spokesman for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, which runs a marine toxin monitoring program and sent representatives to collect the deceased turtles, said all signs from initial necropsies point toward saxitoxin, but the agency is sending the turtle's organs for further testing. Those results won't be available for several weeks.

Source: CTV News

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