Dead sardines in California had eaten toxic algae

Miriam -

About 5 days ago, a huge school of sardines found their way into King Harbor in Redondo Beach, CA (near Los Angeles), used up all the oxygen, and died of suffocation. While the harbor tries to vacuum and scoop up the vast number of dead rotting fish (want to volunteer?), scientists are trying to figure out what happened in the first place.

New data from Dr. David Caron’s lab at University of Southern California found that the gut contents of the dead sardines contained high levels of domoic acid, a powerful neurotoxin produced by the diatom (microscopic plant) Pseudo-nitzschia. Sardines feed by filtering plankton out of the water with their gills, so unlike other fish they are able to ingest toxic algae directly. Dr. Caron’s lab did not detect domoic acid inside King Harbor itself, but the fish might have eaten the toxic algae offshore, become disoriented, swum into the harbor, used up all the oxygen (a million fish use a LOT of oxygen), and died.

Dr Caron wrote a very helpful explanation of what his lab is doing, what they’ve found, and what they’re working on. Here’s an excerpt regarding the role of domoic acid in the fish deaths.  I’ve posted the complete statement after the break.

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Photo Don Bartletti

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