Florida conducted by the U,S, Fish 

 and Wildlife Service and cooperating 

 organizations. Fish Wildl. Serv,, Spec. 

 Sci. Rep. 46, i + 44 p. 



During the 1946-47 outbreak: All 

 kinds of animals perished in the red 

 water, including a small number of 

 turtles and porpoises. Windrows of 

 dead fishes piled on beaches com- 

 prised a great variety of connmon com- 

 nnercial and noncommercial varieties. 

 Likewise, the pelagic and bottom in- 

 vertebrates succumbeS to the unknown 

 poison. Large numbers of shrimp were 

 seen dead, as well as common blue 

 crabs, fiddler and mud crabs, barnacles, 

 oysters and coquinas. Observations 

 made by the author in March 1947, around 

 the Fort Myers area, disclosed that 

 about 80 percent of the oysters, Ostrea 

 virginica , grown on piles, were dead. 



"No n-iortality was observed among 

 the hard shell clams, Venus mercenaria , 

 and no reports were received of the 

 destruction of ducks, gulls, and other 

 birds inhabiting the inshore waters. 

 Later during the summer infornnation 

 was received fronn residents of Largo, 

 Florida, that 'thousands of sea gulls 

 and pelicans died from eating the fish 

 poisoned by the red tide.' The correct- 

 ness of this observation has not been 

 verified by the author." [p. 10-11.] 



In June 1947, W. W. Anderson re- 

 ported the species killed in the Fort 

 Myers area to be 50 percent catfish; 

 also included were pinfish, porgies, 

 white trout and spotted trout, cowfish, 

 spiny box fish, moonfish, spot, mullet, 

 eel, sand-bream, whiting, thread 

 herring, hogchoker, tongue fish, yellow- 

 tail, tripletail, redfish, and drum. Also 

 very noticeable were carcasses of 

 horseshoe crabs. 



". . . Sponge divers working last winter 

 off Marco, Florida, reported that the 

 bottom was littered with dead mackerel, 

 although rarely were these fish found 

 on the beaches, [p. 13.] 



"Although few dead crabs were ob- 

 served by Anderson, this may be due 

 to the fact that these animals tend to 

 sink upon death and would, therefore, 

 be less noticeable. On the other hand, 

 he frequently observed small species of 

 crabs swimming in the infected waters 

 in apparently good condition. On several 

 occasions crabs were observed feeding 

 on dead fish at the surface. He thinks 

 that it is entirely possible that these 

 crustaceans were less affected by the 

 red water than were the fish. Horse- 

 shoe crabs (Limulus polyphennus ), how- 

 ever, suffered a heavy mortality and 



thousands 

 beaches . 



were washed onto the 

 , . [p. 13-14.] 



"... the water had an oily appear- 

 ance. When dipped up and allowed to 

 stand for 5 to 1 minutes, it became 

 thick, sometimes almost of a con- 

 sistency of Karo syrup, and slimy to 

 the touch. . . . [p. 15.] 



". . . Counts made by Woodcock and 

 Anderson in the field show that the 

 number of Gymnodinium in the surface 

 layer of red water varied at this time 

 from 13,000,000 to 56,000,000 per liter. 

 Samples collected by plankton net con- 

 tained also large numbers of Evadne . 

 The intestines of this Cladoceran were 

 stained deep red by ingested Gym- 

 nodinia. . . ." [p. 19.] 



", . . Dinoflagellates, like other 

 Protozoa, are very sensitive to copper 

 sulphate and hypochlorite. Kofoid and 

 Swezey (1921) state that copper sulphate 

 in a concentration of 1 part per million 

 killed all Ceratium hirundinella . This 

 method was used by the Japanese biolo- 

 gists in their attempts to control the 

 red water in the Gokasho Bay and in 

 the Gulf of Konsa. Miyajima (1934) states 

 that all dinoflagellates are instantly 

 killed by a copper sulphate solution 

 in the concentration of 2 parts per 

 million. The concentration of 1 part 

 per million kills thenn within a few 

 nninutes. In practice the copper sulphate 

 was applied by attaching bags filled with 

 this salt to the sides of motor launches 

 which were run back and forth in the 

 bay. After the treatment large numbers 

 of destroyed dinoflagellates were found 

 floating in the water, [p. 34.] 



"To prevent the growth of bacteria 

 which may develop after the destruc- 

 tion of dinoflagellates, the Japanese 

 biologists suggest the use of 1 percent 

 solution of calcium hypochlorite or the 

 addition of liquid chlorine. Both solu- 

 tions can be used simultaneously and 

 their effective concentrations, accord- 

 ing to Kominarui (quoted from Miyajima) 

 should be adjusted to the salinity and 

 temperature of the water. He states that 

 at 13.6° C. ordinary bleaching powder 

 containing from 34 to 35 percent of free 



36 



