Freeze Impacts hit Fish, Turtles along Entire Texas Coast

News Release – News Images


Media Contact: Steve Lightfoot, 512-389-4701, steve.lightfoot@tpwd.state.tx.us



Feb. 17, 2011



Freeze Impacts hit Fish, Turtles along Entire Texas Coast

AUSTIN – Preliminary assessments by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department coastal fisheries biologists suggest the damage from back-to-back freeze events that impacted marine life from Galveston to Brownsville could have been much worse.



Forecasts of prolonged sub-freezing temperatures along the Texas coast during the first week in February had biologists bracing for major fish kills the likes of which had not been seen in more than two decades. A second, less severe freeze wave hit the Texas coast less than a week later.



Coastal fisheries populations suffered devastating losses during three freeze events in the 1980s, with combined estimates of more than 30 million dead fish. In the aftermath of the freezes of 2011, TPWD officials are breathing collective sighs of relief. Based on early findings, the total numbers of fish impacted will be above that seen during 2010 (51,000 fish killed along the mid and lower coast), 2004 (35,000 fish killed in the lower Laguna Madre) and 1997 (200,000-300,000 fish killed in the upper and lower Laguna Madre) freezes, but lower than the three freezes in the 80s (1983 and two in 1989).



Biologists suggest the total impacts from this year’s fish kill in terms of numbers appear similar to the freeze of 1997, but the species makeup is drastically different. During 1997, spotted seatrout, black drum and red drum comprised roughly 75 percent of the impact. During this year’s freeze, it appears more than 85 percent of the impacted fish are non-recreational species, like silver perch, hardhead catfish, and mullet. Of the recreational species impacted this year, black drum appear to make up a larger component with spotted seatrout, red drum, sand seatrout, sheepshead, whiting, snook, gray snapper, Atlantic croaker and gag grouper making up a much smaller percentage.



“It could be that most fish had time to escape to deeper water before the freeze hit,” theorized Rebecca Hensley, TPWD coastal fisheries regional director. “We didn’t see the beaches covered in ice and very large numbers of dead fish like during the ‘80s freezes.”



Hensley also credits reduced mortality on game fish to conservation measures taken during the freeze, including a temporary fishing closure in deep water thermal refuges and voluntary stoppage of barge traffic in the lower Laguna Madre and through the land cut in the upper Laguna Madre.



“We appreciate the conservation ethic displayed by anglers during and immediately after the freeze when these fish were vulnerable,” said Robin Riechers, TPWD director of coastal fisheries. “It definitely helped reduce fish mortality.”



The recent freeze also saw a huge jump in the number of cold-stunned sea turtles recovered and the high survival rates. More than 1,500 sea turtles were recovered thanks to a massive network of volunteers and state and federal agency efforts.



“There were people out on the water gathering turtles immediately once the freeze hit and that made a huge difference,” said Riechers. “Turtle survival has been fairly high compared to previous freezes.”



In past years for similar coastal freezes, cold-stunned sea turtles in Texas have typically been held in captivity to recuperate for weeks until sea water temperatures rose. But two factors prompted Texas wildlife workers to return turtles to the wild faster this time. First, experts in Florida who’ve had similar recent experiences with cold-stunned turtles advised returning them to the water as soon as possible. Second, the sheer numbers of rescued turtles overwhelmed available facilities, so that many were on floors or wrapped in blankets, and experts say it’s better for them to return to water as soon as possible.



Within days of rescue, sea turtles were returned en masse with volunteers forming assembly-line chains to shuttle turtles down to the water’s edge on beaches near Corpus Christi and along the South Padre Island seashore.



Biologists say they won’t know the full impact to coastal fisheries from the freeze until annual sampling surveys are conducted later in the spring.



Photo Editors: Images associated with this news release are available on the TPWD Web site (http://archive.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/news_images/).



http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20110217c


tss

Galveston Bay Fish Kill Arctic Blast of 2011 ???

Galveston Bay Fish Kill Arctic Blast of 2011 ???



Saturday, February 05, 2011 7:25 PM

I sure hope there is not a major fish kill. it sure was warm just days before this Arctic express came roaring through, and believe it or not, the bait had come back up in here, there were some pelicans and gulls feeding on the bait last week when it was in the 70s. so, I imagine there were some specs and other fish up in here feeding. if I am not mistaken, it was that 83 freeze that took out the specs, and made the limit go from 20 to 10. the bay froze over too in 83 and 89.

water temp at Eagle point Thurs. was 46 degrees (F).

For spotted seatrout, water temperatures below about 45 degrees (F) become lethal. Red drum are a bit more hardy and can tolerate temperatures down to the mid-30's (F); flounder to the low 40's (F).

Water temp at Eagle Point Friday was 41 degrees (F).

Water temp today at Eagle Point today Sat. 42 degrees (F)

let's pray for a miracle. ...TSS


Freeze-triggered coastal fishing ban extended to Monday
By SHANNON TOMPKINS
Copyright 2011 Houston Chronicle Feb. 4, 2011, 6:38PM


Concerned about potential pillaging of speckled trout, redfish and other coastal game fish crowded into harbors, channels and other deep-water sanctuaries to escape frigid temperatures, state fisheries officials extended until noon, Monday, a closure of some areas along the coast to all fishing.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department had imposed the closure, which affects 21 locations along the coast, Wednesday when it became obvious the days-long siege of freezing or near freezing temperatures would drop inshore water temperatures to levels that would trigger fish to seek refuge in deeper, more insulated waters.

The ban had been set to expire at noon, Saturday.

"This freeze event has lasted longer than was projected earlier in the week and temperatures are not expected to get much above freezing today," said Robin Riechers, TPWD coastal fisheries division director. "We realize an extension through the weekend may inconvenience some anglers and we appreciate their patience and cooperation, but our primary concern is to give fish holding in those thermal refuges a chance to recover." ...

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/outdoors/7413799.html

see the picture of Galveston Bay Froze over behind the house here in 1989.

UPDATE Monday February 7, 2011

Fish kill minimal along coast . Monday, 07 February 2011 11:19 Staff report .Relatively small numbers of dead fish have been reported along the Texas coast after a major cold front late last week. Photo by Patrick Thomas. Anglers and Texas Parks and Wildlife officials along the Texas coast are breathing easier this week after a massive cold front Thursday and Friday seemed to have spared many fish along the bays and Intracoastal Waterway.

Robin Riechers, TPWD Coastal Fisheries Division spokesman, characterized the weekend as “dodging a bullet.”

“That may not be what I’m saying Wednesday (after a flyover), but we are still counting dead game fish in the hundreds, which is amazing considering the cold,” he said. “The most notable kills occurred with pinfish, mullet and hardheads.”

Low tides the previous week and already-cold water help save a lot of fish killed because many of them had already moved to deeper water before the freeze hit.

“In past big events, the cold weather came on quick,” Riechers sad. “Having cold weather before the front, the fish were acclimated already. A lot of water was already shoved out of the bays (because of the low tides) and the barge traffic stoppage helped a lot.”

According to a TPWD memo, “many of the fish seen have been along the shoreline and are small (less than 6-10 inches in length). This weekend, additional fish species have been seen, but in low numbers. During field reconnaissance, the water clarity remains high and many fish were seen in canals beginning to come off the bottom (with their tails on the bottom and head in the water column). With the higher water temperatures, many of the dead fish in the deeper water are beginning to float.”

Mid-coast captain Scott Sommerlatte said he flew over the middle bays Sunday and counted several hundred dead trout, but called the fish kill “insignificant.”

“I think we escaped anything too terrible,” he said. “I saw a couple of really big trout, but not a single redfish. East Matagorda had most of the dead fish, but this wasn’t as bad as last year — not even close.”

A small snook kill was reported in the Lower Laguna Madre, but Capt. Eric Glass guided a redfish client Sunday along the southernmost tip of the coast and reported a great day of fly-fishing on the flats.



http://www.lsonews.com/fishing-news/1479-staff-report


TSS

TEXAS AND IT'S INDUSTRY FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDOUS POLLUTING LAWS

TEXAS AND IT'S INDUSTRY FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDOUS POLLUTING LAWS


January 2, 2011


Howdy Bay Area Neighbors,


Wasn't it refreshing to read the headlines in the City and State section of the Chronicle Friday December 31, 2010. Three headlines caught my eye. First was 'Texas tries again to foil EPA, second was 'Downpour Sends raw sewage into bayou', and the third was 'Decision to expand dump put on hold'. Puts a light on where we're headed in 2011. More nuke waste material in Texas, More shit in Galveston Bay, and even more shit from the EPA and Austin. Maybe we can redirect Buffalo Bayou and the Nuke waste dump to the Governors office. well, it's just a thought. ...


Buffalo Bayou sewage repairs may take 3 weeks Pipes break from downpour's load

By ALLAN TURNER HOUSTON CHRONICLE Dec. 31, 2010, 9:13AM

City workers on Thursday began assessing damage to a maze of sewer pipes that, gorged with water from heavy rains, spewed more than 100,000 gallons of raw sewage into Buffalo Bayou.

Public works spokesman Alvin Wright said it may take as long as three weeks to repair the damage, but sewer customers should not be inconvenienced in the process.

"They can still flush," Wright said. ...

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7360522.html



Texas tries again to foil EPA It asks federal appeals court to stop takeover of rules for permits

By MATTHEW TRESAUGUE HOUSTON CHRONICLE Dec. 30, 2010, 9:09PM

Texas took another swing Thursday at the EPA, asking a federal appeals court to block the agency from seizing the state's authority to regulate the largest industrial sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

The latest legal move comes three days before new nationwide regulations for emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases take effect. Texas is the only state to refuse to implement the rules.

The Texas petition to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia accuses the Environmental Protection Agency of abusing its powers by taking control of the permitting program without proper public notice. The EPA made the unilateral move Dec. 23.

"Once again, the federal government is overreaching and improperly intruding upon the state of Texas and its legal rights," Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said in a statement. Typically, the federal government delegates implementation of Clean Air Act rules to the states....

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7360473.html



Judge orders halt to radioactive waste dump By JAY ROOT © 2010 The Associated Press

Dec. 30, 2010, 5:11PM

AUSTIN, Texas — A Texas judge ordered a temporary halt Thursday to a proposal that could allow three dozen states to dump their radioactive waste in far West Texas, a ruling that sided with environmentalists and caught the state attorney general's office off guard.

State District Judge Jon Wisser issued a temporary restraining order against the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission, which is scheduled to vote Jan. 4 on rules that could expand how much waste could be processed at a dump in remote Andrews County.

The injunction was issued in the judge's courtroom late Thursday morning, shortly after environmentalists filed the request, with nobody there representing the commission. A few minutes later, shocked lawyers from the Texas Attorney General's Office — which hadn't been officially notified of the pending court action — showed up and convinced the judge to order a new hearing on the injunction.

The hearing is set for Monday in Austin, one day before the commission's scheduled vote. ....

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/7360256.html



Friday, December 24, 2010

TEXAS NUCLEAR DUMP VOTE SET AMID HOLIDAY RUSH THANKS TO GOVERNOR RICK PERRY

NUCLEAR DUMP VOTE SET AMID HOLIDAY RUSH

CRITICS PROTEST TIMING OF MEETING ON 38-STATE WASTE FACILITY IN TEXAS

http://sciencebushwhacked.blogspot.com/2010/12/texas-nuclear-dump-vote-set-amid.html



WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2008

TEXAS WINS TO BE NEXT BIG DUMPING GROUND FOR NUCLEAR WEAPONS RADIOACTIVE WASTE

(see photo's)

http://sciencebushwhacked.blogspot.com/2008/07/texas-wins-to-be-next-big-dumping.html



Monday, July 5, 2010

B.P. Gulf Oil Spill Tar Balls Hit Texas Beaches Galveston and Bolivar

http://galvestonbay.blogspot.com/2010/07/gulf-oil-spill-tar-balls-hit-texas.html



Thursday, August 5, 2010

DEAD ZONES IN THE GULF AND GALVESTON BAY, NORTH AND SOUTH BACLIFF, SAN LEON, SHORELINE

flounders and stingrays floating belly up north and south of spillway part outlet.

http://galvestonbay.blogspot.com/2010/08/dead-zones-in-gulf-and-galveston-bay.html


Wednesday, August 6, 2008

TROUBLED WATERS

(DEAD DOLPHIN washed up on rocks in backyard, on Galveston Bay, in Bacliff, Texas 77518)

http://galvestonbay.blogspot.com/2008/08/troubled-waters.html



Saturday, July 19, 2008

GALVESTON BAY, swimming with the dolphins, PCBs, and FECAL MATTER

Greetings again kind friends and neighbors. ...

http://galvestonbay.blogspot.com/2008/07/galveston-bay-swimming-with-dolphins.html



http://galvestonbay.blogspot.com/



December 20, 2010

Don’t Trash Texas— Unless You Pay Perry $1.1 Million A billionaire gives the governor $500,000 more to make Texas the nation’s nuclear waste dump.


http://info.tpj.org/Lobby_Watch/pdf/SimmonsNukeImport.pdf



http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/12/rick-perrys-nuclear-money-mach.html





Terry S Singeltary Sr.
P.O. Box 42
Bacliff, Texas USA 77518

DEAD ZONES IN THE GULF AND GALVESTON BAY, NORTH AND SOUTH BACLIFF, SAN LEON, SHORELINE

DEAD ZONES IN THE GULF AND GALVESTON BAY, NORTH AND SOUTH BACLIFF, SAN LEON, SHORELINE 77518

Low-oxygen area now deeper into Texas waters Largest-ever Gulf dead zone spans from Galveston to Mississippi River

By ERIC BERGER HOUSTON CHRONICLE Aug. 3, 2010, 10:37PM

The dead zone off the Texas coast is larger this year than scientists have ever measured, stretching offshore from the Mississippi River to Galveston Island.

An area of low-oxygen water that threatens marine life, the dead zone is at its largest during the summer months.

Scientists have surveyed the Gulf dead zone for a quarter-century, and this year's 7,722-square-mile area of hypoxic water is among the five largest.

"It's been getting larger and larger over the last five to seven years," said Nancy Rabelais, a Louisiana scientist who leads efforts to annually map the dead zone. "As it's been getting larger, it's expanded farther into Texas waters.

"This is the largest such area off the upper Texas coast that we have found since we began this work in 1985."

Discharge from the Mississippi River, which carries nitrogen and phosphorous nutrients from Midwestern states, largely creates the dead zone.

These nutrients, partly from commercial fertilizers, spur the growth of algaeblooms which, after dying, sink to the bottom. There the bacteria which feast upon the algae also bloom, depleting oxygen in the water.

Fish and shellfish often can swim away from these areas but immobile organisms, such as clams, simply die without access to oxygen.

Scientists are beginning to try and quantify the economic effect of dead zones, primarily due to potential disruption of fisheries.

"There are a whole host of biological consequences for fish in hypoxic areas, and when you add up all those different things you might expect there will be less fish to catch," said Martin Smith, an environmental economist at Duke University.

In recent years Smith has studied the effects of hypoxia on North Carolina fisheries at the mouth of the Neuse River, and he said low-oxygen water may have reduced catches by 10 to 15 percent.

Long-term worries Smith is part of a team that recently received a four-year, $700,000 grant to perform the first extensive study of the economic consequences of the Gulf dead zone.

In the short term it may benefit some fisheries, he said, because some species such as shrimp may be more tightly clustered at the edge of hypoxic areas, making them easier to catch.

Nevertheless there are long-term concerns about areas of low-oxygen water because they may reduce the reproduction of fish, or slow their growth rates.

"One would expect that if there's less dissolved oxygen, as the severity of the problem worsens, the consequences are going to get worse, too," he said. "But we're not going to answer that question scientifically until we do the study."

Common in summer Texas has seen dead zones before. Excessive rainfall in 2007 caused the Brazos River to discharge more than twice as much water into the Gulf of Mexico than previously measured since at least 1967.

This large amount of fresh water carrying nitrates led to the creation of a temporary 1,750-square-mile area of oxygen-depleted water, stretching from Freeport to Matagorda Bay.

And the Gulf's summer dead zone — such areas occur most commonly in the summer when winds are lightest - has stretched along the upper Texas coast before.

Now it appears that, absent tropical weather in the summer to break up dead zones by mixing the water, dead zones will become permanent summertime fixtures.

"There's still room for it to grow," Rabelais said. "It just has to do with the pressure of more people and nutrients. It means lower water quality, and larger algae blooms. It's certainly not a good thing."

eric.berger@chron.com

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/7137925.html

Subject: deadzone reply tss

WE have a dead zone right here in Bacliff Texas, on Galveston Bay, caused by ZERO oxygen level towards the bottom, flowing out of the Reliant spillway park, due to treated sewer being dumped into the discharge canal. you can see the pipe from google search. i was told by TPWD, from that pipe down to the mouth of the bay, via the discharge pipe, there is a blue green algae that has created the ZERO oxygen levels towards the bottom. the ZERO oxygen levels once the water discharges into the bay, runs both North and South up and down Bacliff, and San Leon shore line. Both FLOUNDER AND STINGRAYS have been seen floating belly up in large numbers. this has been going on for about 4 or 5 years, every year about this same time we saw it this year, and is generally seen around no tide movement days. BUT, we have had a significant reduction in the numbers of flounders in our area over this same time frame. i guess that's why we smell fece's in Galveston bay from time to time also. isn't progress wonderful. ...not///

check out the next addition of the SEABREEZE newspaper.

stupid is, as stupid does, and sometimes, you just can't fix stupid...

please see article ;

August 6, 2010

GOT FLOUNDER? Not in San Leon...

GOT FLOUNDER? Not in San Leon...

Got Flounder? Not in San Leon.

During the month of July, flounder and stingray have been floating up dead all along the San Leon/Bacliff shoreline on the north side. Our freelance reporter, Terry Singeltary, ob- served dead flounder floating by in groups of twos and three's with an occasional five or six. These are big, mature flounder, from two to seven pounds. Along with these flounder, dead stingrays have been seen floating by. Mr. Bobby Redfield, who lives on Bayshore Drive, also observed the same thing and gave me a call. This went on for several days. We received eight more calls where someone people left messages regarding dead flounder floating around the spillway, but did not leave their names and numbers. Our reporter contacted Lance Robinson, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Biologist located at the Dickinson office and expressed his concern about the destruction of these fish. Mr. Robinson said that they were aware of this problem and knew the cause. It turns out that a water treatment plant in the Bacliff area has a discharge pipeline that dumps into the HL&P outlet canal and goes out by way of the spillway and follows the tide. Since there is no longer any pressured flow discharging from HL&P, the chemicals from this treated water build up, removing all of the oxygen from the bottom of the water along the shoreline. The fish that live on the bottom of the bay, like flounder and stingray, cannot survive. This has been going on for years and has not been addressed. With the three sewer plants dumping into Dickinson Bayou and the de- pletion of flounder it makes you wonder why anyone in their right mind would want to put another sewer plant dumping into our precious, fragile resources. Mr. Robinson said they were having a meeting on this very subject. The meeting was to take place one week ago from this newspaper printing. Our reporter has put a call in to Mr. Robinson three days prior to this publication and at this time has not been called back. Maybe the Texas Parks and Wildlife has to contact the CCA and ask them how they should handle it. As we know more, you will know more. Do you fisherman ever wonder why there may be a shortage of flounder? With all of the sewer plants up and down the Texas coast dumping water treatment chemicals into our bays, creeks, rivers, bayous, estuaries, it's no wonder that the flounder are disappearing. What are you going to do about it Texas Parks & Wildlife? Are you going to keep cutting back the limits with the fisherman until you stop fishing for flounder forever, or are you actually going to address the problem? It's time for you Texas fishermen to wake up and let your voices be heard.






http://seabreezenews.com/issue/Page_16.pdf

http://seabreezenews.com/

http://galvestonbay.blogspot.com/

TSS

B.P. Gulf Oil Spill Tar Balls Hit Texas Beaches Galveston and Bolivar

GALVESTON, Texas, July 5, 2010

Gulf Oil Spill Tar Balls Hit Texas Beaches

State Says Responders Have Recovered About 35 Gallons of Waste Material Tainted by Oil on Beaches

(AP) A top Texas official said Monday that tar balls from the Gulf oil spill have been found on state beaches, marking the first known evidence that gushing crude from the Deepwater Horizon well has now reached all the Gulf states.

Special Section: Disaster in the Gulf

http://www.cbsnews.com/2718-201_162-558.html

Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson said two crews were removing tar balls found on the Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston Island on Sunday.

"We've said since day one that if and when we have an impact from Deepwater Horizon, it would be in the form of tarballs," Patterson said in a news release. "This shows that our modeling is accurate. Any Texas shores impacted by the Deepwater spill will be cleaned up quickly and BP will be picking up the tab."

The state said responders have recovered about 35 gallons of waste material tainted by the oil from the two sites.

Signs of landfall by oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill had previously only been reported in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.

The distance between the western-most reach of the spill in Texas and the eastern-most reports of oil in Florida is about 550 miles.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/07/05/national/main6649045.shtml

oh hell,

I see right out of the starting gates they are wanting to blame the tankers on bringing this B.P. oil globs to our Texas beaches. so, back to my question (part of this was omitted in the Galveston Daily News comment submission that was published due to comment length limit), BUT WHAT ABOUT Galveston Bay and all it's estuaries ?


tarball...(flounder)



===================================

From: Terry S. Singeltary Sr.
T o:
Cc: letters@galvnews.com

Sent: Saturday, May 22, 2010 11:24 AM
Subject: do we need an Ike dike, or a BP dike ?

WHAT (if any), is the contingency plan we have to keep that BP oil from getting into Galveston Bay, and all it's estuary's, if it heads our way, and threatens our coast ?

PLEASE NOTE ; the booms do not seem to be working. I have seen them broke up and beached, with oil soaked birds trying to stay afloat on them. we know the entrance between the jetties can be a rough one, sometimes on a calm day, as with San Luis Pass.

SO what is the contingency plan to protect the cuts coming into Galveston bay, and keep the BP oil, or any oil, from entering ?

OUR BEACHES would be very vulnerable too, so another question would be, what is the contingency plan to keep the BP oil off our beaches from High Islands, to Corpus, and beyond, IF the oil was to come our way? the surf would break up any booms, so what plan is it you have for the beaches as well ?

===================================

Thursday, June 3, 2010

CAUGHT IN B.P. OIL

http://galvestonbay.blogspot.com/2010/06/caught-in-bp-oil.html

Galveston Daily News

Letters to the Editor

May 28, 2010

How Would We Deal With An Oil Spill Here?

Do we need an Ike dike, or a BP dike?

I watch in misery as I see what is happening to our kind neighbors to the east of us, and think to myself, there, but for the grace of God, go we.

All that would have to happen is a change in wind pattern or weather pattern and BP’s God-awful mess could be at our doorsteps in a minute.

What, if any, is the contingency plan to keep that BP oil from getting into Galveston Bay and all its estuaries, if it heads our way? Will the ship channel and cuts be closed to seal off the bay?

Our beaches would be vulnerable, too. What is the contingency plan to keep the BP oil off our beaches from High Island to Corpus Christi and beyond, if the oil were to come our way?

If an oil dispersant is used, how would we keep that from coming into Galveston Bay, and what harm is it to humans and wildlife, including fish?

These are just a few of many questions I would like answered before the BP oil slick, or any oil slick, is seen off our coast, not after it comes ashore.

Terry Singeltary Sr. Bacliff


http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=b8f097d3ec4f9965

ORIGINAL SUBMISSION ;


----- Original Message -----

From: Terry S. Singeltary Sr.
To:
Cc: letters@galvnews.com
Sent: Saturday, May 22, 2010 11:24 AM
Subject: do we need an Ike dike, or a BP dike ?

Greetings Mr. Taylor and The Galveston Daily News et al !

I have a few questions please, that I think someone needs to answer for the public.

I watch in misery and pain as I see what is happening to our Kind Neighbors to the East of us, and on around the Gulf Coast to Florida, and think to myself, there for the Grace of God, are us. all that would have to happen is a change in wind pattern, and or weather pattern, or maybe even an early tropical storm coming in from the Florida keys from east to west across the gulf. any of these scenario's would put that God awful mess at our door steps in a minute.

WHAT (if any), is the contingency plan we have to keep that BP oil from getting into Galveston Bay, and all it's estuary's, if it heads our way, and threatens our coast ?

PLEASE NOTE ; the booms do not seem to be working. I have seen them broke up and beached, with oil soaked birds trying to stay afloat on them. we know the entrance between the jetties can be a rough one, sometimes on a calm day, as with San Luis Pass.

SO what is the contingency plan to protect the cuts coming into Galveston bay, and keep the BP oil, or any oil, from entering ?

OUR BEACHES would be very vulnerable too, so another question would be, what is the contingency plan to keep the BP oil off our beaches from High Islands, to Corpus, and beyond, IF the oil was to come our way? the surf would break up any booms, so what plan is it you have for the beaches as well ?

IF OIL DISPERSANTS are used, how would we keep that from coming into Galveston Bay, and what harm would it be to our wildlife and fishing in general ?

THESE are just a few of many questions myself, and I am sure others would like to have answered, BEFORE the BP oil slick, or any oil slick, is seen off our coast. NOT after it is seen.

I am sure, somewhere there is a contingency plan. I am sure it is published somewhere, I would hope so anyway, and we should all have a copy of it for scrutiny, in case it is not sufficient to protect our Galveston Bay, and our Beaches. ...

sincerely concerned,

Terry S. Singeltary Sr. P.O. Box 42 Bacliff, Texas USA 77518


Sunday, May 30, 2010

DO WE NEED AN IKE DIKE, OR A B.P. DIKE, OR BOTH

Documents Show Early Worries About Safety of Rig


http://galvestonbay.blogspot.com/2010/05/do-we-need-ike-dike-or-bp-dike-or-both.html

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

OFFICIALS CLAIM PLAN IS IN PLACE IF OIL HITS TEXAS BEACHES Officials:

Plan in place if oil hits Texas beaches


http://galvestonbay.blogspot.com/2010/06/officials-claim-plan-is-in-place-if-oil.html

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Will Bacterial Plague Follow Crude Oil Spill Along Gulf Coast?


http://galvestonbay.blogspot.com/2010/06/will-bacterial-plague-follow-crude-oil.html

Governor Perry comments ;


"I want to assure Texans we are taking aggressive actions." ...end


let's hope so. i have my doubts though. ...tarball (flounder)



Terry S. Singeltary Sr.
P.O. 42
Bacliff, Texas USA 77518

Will Bacterial Plague Follow Crude Oil Spill Along Gulf Coast?

Will Bacterial Plague Follow Crude Oil Spill Along Gulf Coast?


By PAUL VOOSEN of Greenwire

Published: June 17, 2010


Some bacteria in the Gulf of Mexico love eating oil as much as they like infecting humans.

A close relative of the bacteria infamous for seafood contaminations that often lead to fatal disease, the microbe Vibrio parahaemolyticus, is common in warm coastal waters like the Gulf. The long comma-shaped bacteria, slurped down with raw oysters, brings twisting cramps and nausea to 4,500 American shellfish aficionados each year.

But unlike some of its finicky peers, V. parahaemolyticus has a deep thirst for crude oil. "You can feed it exclusively oil," and it will thrive, said Jay Grimes, marine microbiologist at the University of Southern Mississippi.

As many have noticed, oil is not in short supply on the Gulf Coast.

Scientists have long known that the ultimate end of the crude oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico from the damaged BP PLC well will rest in the hands of marine bacteria, single-cell organisms that have been purging the seas of oil from natural seeps for millenia, having only recently added human folly to their cleanup resume. Without these bacteria, whose numbers surge in response to hydrocarbons, enough oil would leak each year to coat the world's oceans in a fine film, molecules deep.

Beneath this awareness, however, sit vast reserves of uncertainty. Microbiologists are unsure which bacteria, feeding off the oil, are already growing exponentially in the Gulf. They are curious how long the bacterial growth will last once the oil's hard remnants drift down into ocean sediment. And no one seems certain how the surge in microbial life will alter the intricate, disentangling web of the Gulf's already weakened ecology.

One of the more pressing questions involves Vibrios, which, until the oil spill, were one of the primary threats to the region's vital shellfish business. While parahaemolyticus rarely causes serious disease, another Vibrio species, vulnificus, kills dozens of Americans each year, largely through seafood contamination. The disease, only recently discovered, has caused fierce debate between health officials and local Gulf politicians over raw oysters, the primary carriers of the disease.

Since Vibrio populations swell in the summer -- they love the heat -- this year there is a likely possibility, scientists say, that Vibrio growth could be further spurred, directly or indirectly, in response to the oil and the organic flotsam it has left behind.

"The question is: Will there be an inadvertent enhancement of the growth of these potential human pathogens?" said Rita Colwell, former director of the National Science Foundation and an expert in marine microbial life. "It's a question, and the answer is uncertain."

So far, hard evidence is scant. Grimes recently examined an oiled water sample taken by the research ship Pelican. The oil, likely exposed to dispersant, was finely divided. Using gene-staining technology, Grimes discovered several microbes attached to the droplet. Now glowing blue, they had been gorging. At least one was a Vibrio.

"There's no question bacteria, in general, increase following spills, and this includes Vibrios," said Jim Oliver, a Vibrio specialist at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. Whether the pathogenic Vibrios "significantly increase is unsure, I would say, but they are coastal bacteria ... so [they] could well increase either as a direct result of oil degradation or as a side effect of the added nutrient levels."

The ingredients are there for heightened concern, Oliver added. The carcasses of bacteria feeding off the oil will increase overall nutrient levels as sweltering summer temperatures hit their peak. While there are natural controls, like bacterial viruses and protozoa, that can check Vibrio growth, those can be overwhelmed, studies have shown. And because of the cleanup, more people could be coming into direct contact with the bacteria.

"I think that combination could lead to very serious public health concerns," Oliver said.

FDA aware of threat

Already, the spill is stressing and killing marine life, covering oyster cages in oily films, Oliver's Gulf colleagues tell him. The most common vector for seafood contamination, the oysters that survive the crude could see their immune systems weakened, potentially leaving them easy prey for bacteria. And what if their offspring are weakened?

There are few answers, said Doug Bartlett, a microbiologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Mostly questions. "If the oil is killing all these marine animals and if the marine animals are highly compromised, would they be more likely to succumb to infectious disease?" he said.

The Food and Drug Administration is aware of the Vibrio threat but believes the bacteria's numbers will decline in parallel with the oil, said Meghan Scott, an FDA spokeswoman. Currently, most oyster reefs within the spill's reach are closed as part of the federal response, which has shuttered about a third of federal waters in the Gulf.

"Closure of oyster harvesting areas is based upon the presence of oil, and reopening cannot occur until the presence of oil is gone and shellfish have been tested by sensory and chemical analysis," Scott said. "Concurrent with acceptable test results for oil in oysters, Vibrio levels will have returned to background."

When harvesting resumes, Vibrio controls will be enforced by state shellfish control authorities. Those requirements have been the source of controversy in recent years, as last year FDA sought to reduce Vibrio-related deaths by tightening controls on raw oyster processing. Gulf fishermen and politicians fended off those standards, at least temporarily, citing economic concerns.

Without a doubt, higher Vibrio numbers would pale in comparison to the oil, which should remain the primary concern of emergency responders, given its potential to accumulate in wildlife and disrupt fish larvae. The synthetic dispersants used to break down the crude, making it available for microbes, are a close second. But there should be awareness that even as the oil recedes -- which, at times, seems an ever remote possibility -- its impact on the Gulf will linger, invisibly.

"I honestly don't know what is going to happen with regard to the oil spill," Scripps' Bartlett said. "It's very likely in the heavily impacted areas to have a strong influence on the composition of microbial communities. But gosh, I just don't have a good sense of where that all is going to go."

'Insufficient investment' in research

Marine microbiology has long been a meagerly funded field. Even when oil spills have been on politicians' agendas, most money has gone toward technological fixes like double-hulled tankers. As a result, microbiologists have few specific answers to offer on how the Gulf's bacterial life will change. Some lessons have been learned from spills in Japan, Alaska and France, but over the past 20 years, when biological tools have rapidly advanced, money has slipped out of reach.

"We are now reaping the sad result of insufficient investment in the kind of research that should have been happening all along," said Colwell, who was tapped this week to lead an independent panel advising where BP's promised $500 million in research funds should be invested.

Given the uncertainty, microbiologists are scrambling to reach the Gulf and sample waters near the former site of the Deepwater Horizon. Researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, Santa Barbara, backed in part by emergency federal grants, have set out on research ships like Cape Hatteras, Brooks McCall and Ocean Veritas to sample the ocean's smallest residents.

Few initial results are available, and much microbial activity has been inferred from a drop in oxygen levels in waters surrounding the spill. This plunge, however, even in the undersea plumes of oil-water mixture, has not been deep enough to limit the oxygen needed by microbes, according to Ken Lee, director of Canada's Centre for Offshore Oil, Gas and Energy Research. Lee has had researchers monitoring the spill for weeks.

"We've been monitoring oxygen profiles in the water column continuously," Lee said. Early tests likely used inaccurate equipment, he added, as "it doesn't look like there's a significant or any significant change in oxygen profiles at this time."

The undersea plumes are less dense than previous analogies may have suggested, Lee added. "It's certainly not salad dressing under water at depth," he said. "We've collected many samples for [analysis] and it appears that the concentrations are quite low."

There is evidence that the dispersants, despite whatever toxicity they may cause in the deep sea, are breaking down the oil into finer droplets than even the most efficient microbes, Lee added. Since most bacteria cannot live in oil and can only "stick their noses into it," as Oliver put it, increasing the surface area is critical to degradation. It is a tough call to use them in such volumes -- more than 1.3 million gallons so far -- but it may have been the right one, USM's Grimes added.

"As a microbiologist, I think the dispersants were the right way to go," Grimes said.

Colwell is not so certain, though, citing evidence that the dispersants could block vital nutrients from reaching oil-degrading bacteria. Much of the first $25 million pledged to Gulf-area research institutes from BP will investigate the effect of dispersants.

In these investigations, one of the more impressive bacteria that scientists expect to find in large numbers near the spill are Alcanivorax borkumensis, a microbe described only a decade ago by German scientists, or similar species. Alcanivorax are selective microbes, so focused on hydrocarbons that they can create their own surfactants, the detergent-like chemicals used by dispersants, to break apart oil.

Typically, bacteria that consume oil grow from less than 1 percent of the marine population to 10 percent or more, as seen in the Exxon Valdez spill. It is expected that microbe species similar to Alcanivorax constitute a large part of this primary growth, said Kenneth Timmis, a microbiologist at Germany's Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research who helped discover A. borkumensis.

"The unfortunate thing is Alcanivorax can only handle a small part of the problem," Timmis said. The bacteria target saturated hydrocarbons, simple chemical chains that constitute the major volume of the Gulf oil but are also the most likely to evaporate. It is small, he said, "but it's an important part of it."

Indeed, the word "oil" can mask the sheer complexity of crude, Colwell said. Recent studies have found more than 17,000 different chemical components in crude, spawning a term that mirrors the complexity of biology: petroleomics. Some bacteria, like the Alcanivorax, will degrade the simple components, while others, like some Vibrios, hanker for aromatic hydrocarbons like benzene, which are more stable and toxic.

"It's what we call a consortium activity," Colwell said, chains of bacteria that tag-team to devour the oil. "It's a complex system and we, in the 21st century, need to be thinking of systems. ... We have to understand sequential events. It requires a new way of thinking."

Nature's limits

While bacteria -- be they Alcanivorax, Vibrio or some other flagella-tailed bug -- will degrade much of the oil in the Gulf, they will encounter limits in their efforts. Even with enough dissolved oxygen in the water, it is likely that the nutrients needed by the microbes will be in scarce supply, if they are not already, scientists said.

"My guess is that biodegradation is limited by nutrients including nitrogen, phosphorus and iron," said Jim Spain, a microbial engineer at Georgia Institute of Technology. "There might be a time when addition of such nutrients could be helpful, but the caveat is that stimulation of photosynthesis -- algal blooms -- should be avoided."

Fertilization of the ocean should be explored, Colwell agreed. But, she added it should only be considered in a serious, science-based approach that knows exactly what is being added into contaminated waters with volumes calculated based on oil and microbial concentrations.

Soon enough, however, the Gulf will receive a dose of nutrients that it can do little to control. Each summer, runoff from the fertilizer-saturated farms of the Midwest sluices down and out the Mississippi River, typically causing a massive bloom in algae growth and, in turn, a "dead zone" without oxygen. How this runoff will interact with Gulf microbes is anyone's guess.

It could stimulate the hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria, Bartlett said. But if algae instead bloom, the local Vibrio population could also escape its normal limits. Bartlett saw such results during one bloom off the California coast, where the protozoa were no longer able to stop the growth of Vibrio, which can have an affinity for algae.

"The lesson from that is that under high nutrient conditions, it may be that the Vibrio numbers would go up," Bartlett said. "Though one might need to distinguish one algae from another. So we have more questions than answers."

In the end, there is just too much oil for bacteria to break down before large recalcitrant chunks of the crude -- resins and asphaltenes -- sink to the seafloor, coating marine life. The chemicals will then burrow into sediment and, while not very toxic, in such a oxygen-free environment, the oil will take many years to degrade, Helmholtz's Timmis said.

While efforts to limit the oil's spread are understandable, given the wildlife and ecosystem concerns, the high concentrations will make it much more difficult for bacteria to mitigate the oil, he said. The short-term fix complicates the long-term solution.

"It needs to be contained on one hand, and dispersed at the same moment," Timmis said.

For the oil that has not reached the shore, it will be "marine bacteria that will ultimately save the day," UNC's Oliver said. They will degrade the oil to water and carbon dioxide, he said, given time and the assistance of wind and waves.

But those days of clear seas remain on a distant horizon.

"This oil," Colwell said, "will be around for a long time."

Copyright 2010 E&E Publishing. All Rights Reserved.

http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/06/17/17greenwire-will-bacterial-plague-follow-crude-oil-spill-a-81599.html?pagewanted=all



see more on the Vibrio parahaemolyticus ;


What type of illness is caused by V. parahaemolyticus?

When ingested, V. parahaemolyticus causes watery diarrhea often with abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills. Usually these symptoms occur within 24 hours of ingestion. Illness is usually self-limited and lasts 3 days. Severe disease is rare and occurs more commonly in persons with weakened immune systems. V. parahaemolyticus can also cause an infection of the skin when an open wound is exposed to warm seawater.

How does infection with V. parahaemolyticus occur?

Most people become infected by eating raw or undercooked shellfish, particularly oysters. Less commonly, this organism can cause an infection in the skin when an open wound is exposed to warm seawater.

snip... see full text ;

http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/vibriop/



The increasing trend of human incidences of gastroenteritis due to seafood contaminated with V. parahaemolyticus has gained significant national and worldwide attention. The Food Borne Diseases Active Surveillance Network reports that Vibrio infection rate has been the highest, 47%, from 1996 to 2004, compared to other bacterial infections, such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria, and E. coli (5). The significance of V. parahaemolyticus infection in humans has continued to rise since 2000 in the U.S. In 2006, the Council of State and Terrestrial Epidemiologists suggested all Vibrio illnesses, including non-cholera Vibrio illness, should be classified as nationally notifiable diseases (5).

A model for risk characterization based on the historical/surveillance data was developed by CDC's program Cholera and Other Vibrio Illness Surveillance System (COVISS). In the study conducted from 1998 to 2002, 62% of V. parahaemolyticus illnesses was due to contaminated oyster consumption and wound associated (58).

The Pacific Coast States were the site of the highest number of reported V. parahaemolyticus by the state of residence from a report from the CDC (58); however, there was no direct relation to the oyster harvesting sites. As a result, residents of the Pacific Coast states, such as Washington and Oregon, consumed oysters harvested from various sites in nation as well as other states. This study also found that most oyster-linked V. parahaemolyticus illnesses were associated with harvesting areas in the following order: Gulf Coast oysters, Pacific Northwest oysters, Atlantic oysters, and other states (58). Elston from Aqua Technics in Sequim argues that the consequence of warming of the ocean water due to El Niño effect might be correlated with the sudden growth of bacteria near shore and possible increase of Vibrio contamination should be highly considered (18). Food safety concerns are raised since various microorganisms would be contained while the digestive organ of the shellfish filters the seawater, and entire raw or lightly cooked animals are often consumed by people (16).

The general symptoms due to consumed raw or inadequately cooked seafood infected with V. parahaemolyticus are watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills lasting one to three days with onset often within twenty four hours (5, 65). According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, although there is no treatment necessary in most cases of V. parahaemolyticus infections, it is recommended to patients for drinking lots of liquids in order to restore the lost fluids from diarrhea symptoms. In harsh cases, antibiotics that are susceptible to the microorganisms are used, and they are tetracylcline or ciprofloxacin (6).

Raw or improperly cooked seafood products during warmer seasons lead to higher rates of the world outbreaks of V. parahaemolyticus. According to Kaysner, the bacterial contamination could be possibly eliminated by proper heating and cooking practice in dealing with seafood (33). Research conducted in 1970 by Vanderzant and colleagues focused on an isolation of V. parahaemolyticus from the shrimps harvested from the Gulf Coast and found that after heat treatment of a shrimp homogenate containing V. parahaemolyticus for a minute at 100 oC , no survival of bacteria was found after an hour (60). In live crabs, the bacteria were destroyed after exposure to steam for 15 minutes between 72 oC to 75 oC (26).

see full text ;

http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/jspui/bitstream/1957/11165/1/JeehyeLee.pdf



Epidemiology and Infection Cambridge University Press Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010 doi:10.1017/S0950268810001354

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Original Papers

Vibrio illness in Florida, 1998–2007

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


K. E. WEISa1a2 c1, R. M. HAMMONDa2, R. HUTCHINSONa2 and C. G. M. BLACKMOREa2

a1 Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists Applied Epidemiology Fellowship, Atlanta, GA, USA a2 Bureau of Environmental Public Health Medicine, Division of Environmental Health, Florida Department of Health, Tallahassee, FL, USA

SUMMARY This study characterized the current epidemiology of vibrio infections in Florida and examined cases reported from 1998 to 2007. Logistic regression was used to determine risk of death. There were 834 vibrio infections in 825 individuals (average annual incidence rate 4·8/1 000 000). Common Vibrio species reported were Vibrio vulnificus (33%), V. parahaemolyticus (29%), and V. alginolyticus (16%). Most exposures were attributed to wounds (42%), and the most common clinical syndromes were wound infections (45%) and gastroenteritis (42%). Almost half of individuals reported an underlying health condition. Risk of death was associated with any underlying condition and increased with the number of conditions (P<0·0001).



http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=7806086



Deadly flesh-eating bacteria along coast

August 05, 2009 5:50 PM Jessica Holloway BEAUMONT- The state health department is warning residents about a flesh-eating bacteria in coastal regions that have killed two people so far this year.

The bacteria is called Vibrio, and beach-goers and fishermen should be aware, says the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Five cases and two deaths have occurred in 2009. Last year, 17 cases and seven deaths were reported.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a bacterium commonly found in coastal waters and can make people ill by causing a serious skin infection if it enters an opening in the skin.

This usually happens when a person with a cut or abrasion swims or fishes in seawater containing a high number of the bacteria, according to the health department’s Web site.

Therefore, people with cuts or abrasions should avoid the water until their skin is healed.

Nelda Muirhead, of Beaumont, said she lost her 42-year-old son to Vibrio in 2004 after he visited Crystal Beach.

She said her son's feet began hurting immediately after his visit to the beach, that the bacteria spread across his body, and he died two weeks later, leaving behind two children.

Muirhead said she wants to help the health department spread the warning about Vibrio.

"Even when the bacteria sign is up at the beach, there are people still in the water," she said.

To learn more about the flesh-eating bacteria, click here http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/preparedness/factsheet_vibrio.pdf.



http://www.kfdm.com/articles/flesh-33329-along-warns.html




Flesh-eating bacteria a concern in local waters


Posted July 8, 2009 at 11:13 p.m.

CORPUS CHRISTI — I was wading that sandy shelf along the east side of the Lydia Ann Channel this past week and nearly stepped on a stingray.

I’d been shuffling my feet along the hard bottom when the toe of my boot caught the outer rim of a small depression, causing me to stumble slightly. The bottom of my boot skipped across the hole and landed on the other side, barely tickling the wingtip of a stingray about the size of a 45 rpm record.

The little tan ray scooted away, leaving behind a puff of sand and my rapid heartbeat. I’m not sure the stinger of this ray could have reached beyond the Kevlar shield that protects my ankle and foot. I wear Foreverlast low-style reef boots, which provide just enough confidence and protection for a diligent feet shuffler such as me. Those shin protectors are too cumbersome for my comfort.

A larger stingray could easily plant its barb above my armor. This recently happened to a friend in Port Mansfield. Some of you probably have seen the photos of Mike McBride’s festering foot. These gruesome images circulated on the Internet about six weeks ago.

But Mike’s injuries went much deeper than the stingray’s barb. It’s the ensuing infection that got him into life-threatening trouble.

As of this week Mike still is suffering through a painful recovery from his wounds.

Doctors suspect it was the infamous flesh-eating Vibrio vulnificus bacteria that toppled this otherwise healthy angler. The stingray simply provided a fertile opening for the aggressive bacteria.

Within 26 hours Mike’s symptoms went from that of a simple puncture wound to a swelling, reddening foot that was hot to the touch. As the swelling worsened, the skin around the wound turned from red to purple to black. And then blisters began to pock the surface.

McBride went to the emergency room and didn’t leave the hospital for days.

“If I had gone into the emergency room at 5 instead of 11, there’s no doubt I wouldn’t be in this condition right now,” said McBride, who is hoping to be back on the water by October.

When McBride does return to fishing you can bet he’ll be wearing breathable waders.

Vibrio is the same bacteria that sometimes makes people sick from eating raw oysters. When ingested, our stomachs can handle the intrusion. The bacteria cannot penetrate healthy skin. But if this insidious microorganism enters the bloodstream through a break in the skin, the infection spreads rapidly and can result in amputation or death. Immediate treatment is the most effective cure.

If you cut yourself while fishing, saturate the wound with a bleach solution, hydrogen peroxide, hand sanitizer or other across the counter product such as Invisible Armor, Hibiclens or Hibistat.

The only vaccination against Vibrio or Staph is enlightenment. Don’t take lightly these bay-borne bacteria.

I’ve already described the symptoms. If you experience any of them, find an emergency room quickly. And for gosh sakes if you step on a stingray or gash your leg on a rock or oyster shell don’t invite bacteria in by keeping the wound submerged in the bay or surf.

Joanna Mott, a microbiologist, professor and chair of the Department of Life Sciences at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, said studies in 1996 and as recently as 2007 at the university revealed widespread occurrences of the bacteria in Oso Bay, Corpus Christi Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, Redfish Bay, Copano Bay, Nueces Bay, near Cole Park and near Bird Island in Upper Laguna Madre.

Most cases of Vibrio, and nearly all fatalities, involve high-risk patients who are elderly or with liver problems, deficient immune systems, diabetes, gastric disorders, cancer or steroid dependency. McBride suffered from none of these. Consuming alcohol also puts us at greater risk. But neglect and ignorance rank as the greatest risk factors.

David Sikes’ Outdoors column runs Thursday and Sunday. Contact David at 886-3616 or sikesd@caller.com.

© 2009 Corpus Christi Caller Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



http://www.caller.com/news/2009/jul/08/flesh-eating-bacteria-a-concern-in-local-waters/




A Baytown man has died from illness caused by exposure to a rare pathogen often referred to as flesh-eating bacteria. Thomas Jesse Shurley, 52, died Tuesday night of multiple organ failure following a three-week battle against the infection. He had suffered a scrape on his knee while fishing in Galveston Bay on July 26, family members said. The bacteria, most often encountered in seawater, rapidly spread throughout his body, and even the amputation of his leg could not stop it.

“It's really a shock to the entire family,” said his daughter, Shaunte Angelo. “He was young and full of life. We never saw this coming.”

The incident occurred when Shurley was fishing alone close to shore in a small jon boat. The boat tipped over and he scraped his left knee while righting it. Shurley felt sick the next day but thought little of it. By Tuesday evening, his knee was so swollen and he felt so bad that friends took him to Baytown Methodist Hospital, fearing he had broken it.

“The doctors ran some tests and figured out what it was,” Angelo said. “They asked him if he wanted to lose his leg or his life. Of course, he chose his leg.”

The next day Shurley was taken by Life Flight to St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital in the Texas Medical Center. He was placed on a ventilator and never regained full consciousness, his daughter said. Infected tissue was surgically removed, and later most of his leg. But there was little hope once the infection spread through his blood and most of his organs, she said.

He was taken off life support at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and died about five hours later.

snip...


http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/state/_Flesh-eating_bacteria_kills_angler_after_Galveston_Bay_trip__.html




SEE LEG INFECTION PHOTO'S ;


http://www.fishgame.com/print/print.aspx?ArticleID=4347



SEE FOOT INFECTION PHOTO'S


http://www.texags.com/main/forum.reply.asp?topic_id=1420970&forum_id=34




Flesh-eating bacteria migrating north Channel 11 KHOU-TV, July 30, 2007

CRYSTAL BEACH – Fishermen frequent Crystal Beach, getting waist deep in the Gulf to cast lines for speckled trout. But Steve Gilpatrick, 58, caught something else while fishing ankle deep in the surf he never expected. The Nacogdoches man contracted vibrio vulnificus, better known as flesh eating bacteria, on July 8 through a cut on his leg. What happened next is frightening. In less than a day, the fast moving bacteria moved up his leg discoloring it and painfully destroying his skin. Blisters soon developed a half-inch thick. The 58-year-old diabetic almost lost his leg -- and nearly his life. "They were able to keep him away from total organ failure,” Linda continued. “We were very close.” Flesh-eating bacteria lives in the warm Gulf waters. People rarely are infected. The Texas Department of Health said it only records a couple dozen cases a year. Twelve so far in 2007, said TDH spokesman Doug McBride. In fact, experts believe the real number of flesh-eating bacteria cases is much higher. What's worrisome though is this warm water bacteria is now being discovered in cold water, in places like Alaska, Sweden and along the eastern seaboard. "There's no question the water temperatures are increasing,” explained Dr. James Oliver, microbiologist, University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Gilpatrick is in stable condition in a second-floor care unit at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Doctors removed all the skin from his right leg and in five surgeries have started grafting new pieces on it.

http://www.caller.com/news/2009/jul/08/flesh-eating-bacteria-a-concern-in-local-waters/



Beachgoers should beware of bacteria

Brazoport Fact, July 19, 2007

Though summer months bring out more beachgoers and fishermen wading in area waters, it also fuels breeding grounds for a bacteria known as the "flesh-eating" bacteria. A Nacogdoches man contracted the rare Vibrio vulnificus bacterium July 8 while he was visiting Crystal Beach in Galveston County, the Associated Press reported. Steve Gilpatrick, 58, was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, a tissue-destroying disease caused by the bacteria. Gilpatrick’s physician, Dr. David Herndon, the chief of burn services and professor of surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, said Tuesday the situation is life-threatening because the infection spread to Gilpatrick’s blood. Gilpatrick is suffering from multiple organ failure, and doctors are trying to save his leg.

Outlook better for man infected in Gulf

Galveston County Daily News, July 19, 2007

GALVESTON — Steve Gilpatrick finally got some good news Wednesday. Galveston doctors told the Nacogdoches man he would survive deadly bacteria that infected him in the Gulf and that he likely would keep the leg that the bug contaminated. "He’s still very sick," his wife, Linda Gilpatrick, said Wednesday in an interview from the University of Texas Medical Branch’s John Sealy Hospital. It was the first glimmer of hope after a terrifying week for the Gilpatricks. On July 8, Steve Gilpatrick briefly went fishing in ankle-deep water at Crystal Beach, his wife said. Gilpatrick, 58, is diabetic. He had a sore on his leg that had almost healed. He felt fine until the night of July 10, when he awoke with chills and a 103-degree fever. One of his legs was especially hot and it had turned purplish-red, said Linda Gilpatrick. Medical branch doctors quickly determined that he had been infected with vibrio vulnificus, a bacterium found in all seawater. The same bug can make people sick when they eat raw oysters, especially in summertime. Healthy people almost always are able to fight off a skin infection by vibrio vulnificus, but diabetics are doubly vulnerable, said Johnny Peterson, a medical branch microbiologist who studies the disease.

"Flesh-eating" bacteria infections rare

Galveston County Daily News, July 19, 2007

GALVESTON — One strain of a "flesh-eating"e; bacterium is grabbing headlines since it infected a Nacogdoches man last week during a visit to Crystal Beach. But experts say there are a several types of bacteria that destroy human flesh. What’s more, they say, infections like the most recent one are rare. But that doesn’t mean people shouldn’t take some commonsense precautions when they’re around seawater. Steve Gilpatrick, 58, is recovering at the University of Texas Medical Branch after suffering an infection of vibrio vulnificus that could well have been fatal. He became infected after walking in ankle-deep water on a Bolivar Peninsula beach. The vibrio vulnificus bacterium, which is related to the one that causes cholera, exists in all seawater. Populations of it are especially great along the Gulf in summer, when the water is warm. Even so, only about 300 cases of infection were documented in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou070727_tj_flesheaters.c6661f6e.html



Flesh-eating bacteria put man's life at risk

Houston Chronicle, July 18, 2007

GALVESTON — A Nacogdoches man who was infected by flesh-eating bacteria while swimming off Galveston County's Crystal Beach still faces the threat of losing a leg — and possibly his life — despite three surgeries. Steve Gilpatrick is fighting necrotizing fasciitis, a tissue-destroying disease caused by a bacterium called Vibrio vulnificus. The retired oil company marketing consultant also is suffering from multiple organ failure because the disease has caused a blood infection, his physician said Tuesday. Gilpatrick, 58, was listed in critical but stable condition. The bacterium thrives in warm salt water and is most prevalent during summer months. Swimmers with compromised immune systems, such as cancer patients or people with liver disease, are most susceptible to the disease. To be contracted through contaminated water, the bacteria need a point of entry, such as an open wound. Gilpatrick, who is diabetic, had an ulcer on his lower leg that he believed was nearly healed when he went swimming during a fishing trip on July 8, his wife said. His leg became infected three days later and he began running a high fever, spurring them to head for the emergency room. There also is a risk of death in patients whose Vibrio vulnificus infection spreads to the blood, as it has in Gilpatrick's case, said his physician, Dr. David Herndon, who is chief of burn services and professor of surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Herndon said he sees about one case of necrotizing fasciitis, which can be caused by several bacteria, each month. But Vibrio vulnificus infections are not as common, he said, noting that John Sealy Hospital receives only two or three cases in a year. The Texas Department of State Health Services reported 54 cases of Vibrio vulnificus infection in 2006. At least 16 were caused by water contact.

http://microbiology.utmb.edu/news/news2007.shtml




Flesh-Eating Bacteria Kills Louisiana Man Man Fell Overboard, Cut Hand

Posted: 9:39 am PDT July 23, 2007


COCODRIE, La. -- After flesh-eating bacteria claimed the life of his father, Michael Theriot is warning people against swimming in Louisiana bayous.

Related Link: More On Vibrio vulnificus

Last month, Michael Theriot Sr. was on the Robinson Canal in Cocodrie, La., when he fell overboard and cut his hand on a piece of tin.

From then on, he battled an infection of Vibrio vulnificus, a disease found during the summer months in warm salt water.

"Twenty-six days he stayed in the hospital on life support, from the time of the accident until he passed away on June 12," Theriot said.

Symptoms include fever, chills, diarrhea and intense stomach pain. Vibrio vulnificus can be treated with antibiotics, but it has to be treated early.

Or, as Theriot warned, don't go into the water at all.

"As we have seen in the last month, it can be very devastating," he said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said bloodstream infections are fatal in about 50 percent of cases.

http://www.kirotv.com/health/13736402/detail.html



Health, Science & Technology See other Health, Science & Technology Articles

Title: Flesh-Eating Bacteria Claims Life Of Texas Dentist

Source: healthtalk URL Source:

http://www.healthtalk.ca/flesh_eating_bacteria_08142004_2932.php


Published: Aug 14, 2004 Author: healthtalk Post Date: 2004-08-14 23:57:03 by TLBSHOW

A dentist from Houston, Texas, has died after becoming infected with a flesh-eating bacteria. Dr. Kenneth Dean Creamer, 52, became infected after suffering a cut to his leg while he was fishing near Port O'Connor, on the Gulf coast, according to officials.

Creamer was being treated since July 17, two days after he became infected with the saltwater bacteria vibrio vulnificus.

According to the Texas Department of Health, Creamer is the seventh vibrio vulnificus related death in Texas this year. The bacteria is common in warm Gulf waters.

If caught early enough, the infection can be successfully treated with antibiotics.

Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium in the same family as those that cause cholera. It normally lives in warm seawater and is part of a group of vibrios that are called "halophilic" because they require salt.

Vibrio vulnificus can cause an infection of the skin when open wounds are exposed to warm seawater; these infections may lead to skin breakdown and ulceration. Persons who are immunocompromised are at higher risk for invasion of the organism into the bloodstream and potentially fatal complications.

http://wallycourie.com/1Classes%20Fall%2004/MicroBiology/flesh%20eating%20bacteria.htm



Oliver Johnson dies from flesh eating bacteria Environment, posted by the Dude, a resident of Half Moon Bay, on May 18, 2008 at 4:20 pm

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The truth be known...not covered in lies!!!!! can you deny his death! Readers beware of Bloggers covering the truth of sewage entering our ocean. Fight for your Ocean!!!!!

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April 6 2006

UH scientists note that the raw sewage that flowed out of the canal, and into the boat harbor and the ocean, would have provided nutrients for the deadly bacteria to suddenly flourish.

FLESH-EATING EFFECT

Two bacteria — Vibrio vulnificus and aeromonas identified in Johnson's wounds, according to the Health Department — are potentially deadly, and both can cause a flesh-eating effect.

"That would be an organism that can kill very quickly," said Roger Fujioka, a UH microbiologist familiar with the vibrio bacteria that grow in seawater. "It gets into the bloodstream."

It's the same bacteria that killed a man on the Big Island in 2001, after he swam in brackish hot springs.

Fujioka said the bacteria are in the water all the time, but in very low concentrations.

There aren't enough bacteria to create infections, he said, "until something unusual happens like the sewage spill."

Dr. Alan Tice, an infectious disease specialist with UH and Queen's, said several conditions combined in Johnson's case to increase the danger: the bacteria bloom because of the sewage spill; wounds Johnson suffered beforehand, giving bacteria easy access; and the fact he had been drinking, which could have reduced his liver's ability to filter them out.

snip...

http://talkabout.hmbreview.com/topic.php?t=2080




June 18, 2010

Wild Sharks, Redfish Harbor Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria ScienceDaily (June 18, 2010) — Researchers have found antibiotic-resistant bacteria in seven species of sharks and redfish captured in waters off Belize, Florida, Louisiana and Massachusetts. Most of these wild, free-swimming fish harbored several drug-resistant bacterial strains.

The study, published in the Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, found antibiotic-resistant bacteria in every fish species sampled.

The researchers also found multidrug-resistant bacteria in fish at nearly all of the study sites, said Mark Mitchell, a professor of veterinary clinical medicine at the University of Illinois and a senior author of the paper.

"Ultimately the idea of this study was to see if there were organisms out there that had exposures or resistance patterns to antibiotics that we might not expect," Mitchell said. "We found that there was resistance to antibiotics that these fish shouldn't be exposed to."

Among the animals sampled, nurse sharks in Belize and in the Florida Keys had the highest occurrence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. These sharks feed on crustaceans, small fish and other animals living in shallow waters close to shore.

Random mutations may account for drug-resistant bacteria in marine environments, Mitchell said, but there is a lot of evidence for a human origin.

"The shark population in Belize, for example, is a big tourist area, so there are people in the water right there," he said. "The sampling site is not far from a sewage plant, and so all those exposures we think are playing a role."

Sewage also is a problem in the Atlantic coastal waters of the United States, he said. Previous studies have shown that sewage outflows can leak antibiotic-resistant bacteria into the environment.

In the new study, the researchers looked for and found bacterial resistance to 13 antibacterial drugs in the fish. Patterns of resistance varied among the sites.

Bacteria from sharks off Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts and in offshore Louisiana were resistant to the fewest number of antibiotics, while sharks in the Florida Keys and Belize harbored bacteria that were resistant to amikacin, ceftazidime, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, penicillin, piperacillin, sulfamethoxazole and ticarcillin.

Redfish in the Louisiana offshore site hosted more varieties of drug-resistance than sharks in the same waters. This may reflect differences in their age (the redfish were more mature than the sharks), feeding or migratory habits, Mitchell said.

While the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in sharks and other fish does not necessarily harm them, Mitchell said, the findings point to a growing problem for human health.

"There are estimates of over 100,000 deaths from infections in hospitals per year, many of them from antibiotic-resistant organisms," Mitchell said. "And we're creating even more of these organisms out in the environment. … Unfortunately, as these things collect, there's probably a threshold at some point where there's going to be a spillover and it will start to affect us as a species."

People do eat sharks and redfish, Mitchell said, and now these fish represent a potential new route of exposure to drug-resistant bacteria. Sharks and redfish also are predators, and so may function as sentinels for human health.

"Some people might say, well, a bull shark in offshore Louisiana doesn't really have an influence on my health," Mitchell said. "But these fish eat what we eat. We're sharing the same food sources. There should be a concern for us as well."

This study was the thesis for first author Jason Blackburn, a former master's student at Louisiana State University now on the faculty at the University of Florida. The team included researchers from LSU, the University of Florida, the U. of I. and the University of Southern California.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100616161209.htm




GALVESTON BAY, swimming with the dolphins, PCBs, and FECAL MATTER


Greetings again kind friends and neighbors,


well, see there, i was not dreaming, i know what shit smells like when i smell it. i was not only fishing with the PCBs, i was also fishing in feces yesterday, right in our backyard, on Galveston Bay. wonder what the PCBs and the fact Galveston Bay is now being used as a toilet, just to flush feces down, wonder what that will do to bay front property values ??? the realtors and such keep telling me they call this progress. hmmm, some progress. yep, glad i threw that limit of specs away yesterday. that was the first time i had ever released a limit of specs, one by one off our pier. i don't like catch and release, especially when live shrimp is 10 dollars a pint. catch and put in freezer is my logo, and if you cannot do that, what's the use of going, especially when you smell like feces when you get out of the bay. oh well, business is booming, Bayport et al is running wide open, the shit channel is bigger and better, and Galveston Bay is now nothing more than a toilet full of feces, PCBs, and many other toxins, not to forget the deadly flesh eating bacteria Vibrio vulnificus, come on down and get your bay front, water front, property now. ...TSS

p.s. as of this morning, no identifiable lesions, and or open wounds yet. ...TSS


July 18, 2008, 11:15PM


Buffalo Bayou tributary flushed Investigators trying to identify source of sewage


By ALLAN TURNER Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

Hazardous materials workers began the laborious process of flushing a stagnant segment of Buffalo Bayou's Newman Branch on Friday after it was contaminated by raw sewage, possibly flowing from a broken pipe.

Most heavily contaminated was a section of the waterway between Interstate 10 and Memorial Drive.

Investigators from the city health department and other agencies arrived at the scene early Friday afternoon after nearby residents complained of the stench. The process of flushing the bayou with water from fire hydrants began at midafternoon.

Today, hazardous material workers plan to siphon scum from atop the water at a collection point set up with booms near the Memorial bridge.

Stephen Dicker, an investigator with Houston Police Department's environmental crimes unit, said workers trying to identify the source of the leak were hampered by the uncertainty of the location of underground sewer pipes


MORE PHOTO'S ;


http://www.texashuntfish.com/app/forum/19324/GALVESTON-BAY-FISH-CONSUMPTION-WARNING-and-ship-channel-dredging-for-BAYPORT



http://galvestonbay.blogspot.com/




Terry S. Singeltary Sr.
P.O. Box 42
Bacliff, Texas USA 77518
flounder9@verizon.net

CAUGHT IN B.P. OIL

These photo's should disgust everyone. my good friend the pelican is in dire straights again, along with other birds and wildlife, again, thanks to man. ...TSS


June 3, 2010


Caught in the oil


A short entry - AP Photographer Charlie Riedel just filed the following images of seabirds caught in the oil slick on a beach on Louisiana's East Grand Terre Island. As BP engineers continue their efforts to cap the underwater flow of oil, landfall is becoming more frequent, and the effects more evident. (8 photos total)


http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/06/caught_in_the_oil.html




Wednesday, June 2, 2010

OFFICIALS CLAIM PLAN IS IN PLACE IF OIL HITS TEXAS BEACHES


http://galvestonbay.blogspot.com/2010/06/officials-claim-plan-is-in-place-if-oil.html




Sunday, May 30, 2010

DO WE NEED AN IKE DIKE, OR A B.P. DIKE, OR BOTH

Documents Show Early Worries About Safety of Rig


http://galvestonbay.blogspot.com/2010/05/do-we-need-ike-dike-or-bp-dike-or-both.html




http://galvestonbay.blogspot.com/




Pelicans Soaring and B.P. Oil



watch the Pelicans outback ;



everybody wants to go to Heaven, but nobody wants to go now...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsCckM8fB78







TSS