NAIROBI, Kenya (2 Feb 2002) -- The Indian Ocean off Keyna turned into a sea of death last week, with large numbers of fish (including manta rays, sharks and tuna) along with some turtles, octopi and even shellfish washing up onto the Kenya-Somali coast since Wednesday. The deaths have triggered a crisis in Kenyan coastal fish industry. "All fishing activities have so far been grounded. At the moment we do not know how many marine deaths occurred because they are still being washed to the beaches," says Alphayo Baraza, a warden with the Kenya Wildlife Service. The massive die-off is believed to have started off the coast of Kiunga, near the Somali border, causing concern among the local fishing communities and hotel operators. "It all started with small fish, but when we saw sharks washed onto the beaches we knew there is a bigger crisis," says Dr. Kibe Kimani, a local veterinarian. It is not clear how far north the current deaths stretch, but reports from Somalia say that the Somali transitional government "has requested assistance from the International Maritime Organization and the United Nations." Marine experts from World Wildlife Fund were the first to arrive. Scientists from the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KEMFRI), the Kenyan Fisheries Office, the University of Nairobi, and Kenya Wildlife Service are also headed out to investigate the deaths. Julie Church from World Wildlife Fund believes the deaths are the result of toxins released into the water by massive concentrations of microscopic marine plants. "The Kenyan Somali waters are currently experiencing an unusual red tide whose toxic algae has caused the ocean waters to turn red brown and may be the cause of the deaths." | | Red tides frequently occur in coastal regions in late summer and autumn when prevailing winds cause cold, nutrient-rich water to rise up from the deeper regions of the ocean to the surface, a process known as upwelling. The high nutrient concentrations in the upwelled water, together with ideal conditions of temperature, salinity and light can trigger rapid growth and reproduction in certain types of microscopic marine algae, which soon achieve densities sometimes to millions of cells per liter, resulting in the so-called red tide. Red tides have been known to cause large marine life kills in other coastal regions, including Florida and California. Although deadly, in most cases these algal blooms are relatively short lived. Dense concentrations of toxic algae can suffocate fish by clogging or irritating their gills, so that they cannot extract sufficient oxygen from the water. Red tides may also kill indirectly by depleting the oxygen dissolved in the water. But the most notorious red tide organisms kill by the release of neurotoxins that disrupt normal nerve functions. This has resulted in numerous marine mortalities on the South African coast. Just last year a toxic algal outbreak was reported in Shimoni on the South Coast of Kenya stretching to South Africa. Scientists plan to collect water samples from the coastal seas and send them to the Zanzibar Institute of Marine Sciences and the University of Cape Town in South Africa for analysis. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORKSCUBA FORUMDISCUSS THIS TOPIC - Dive in and have your say at Scuba Forum |
