South Carolina Task Group on Toxic Algae
VOLUME 2, NUMBER 1, SUMMER 1999                    PDF Version

S.C. Sea Grant Consortium, Extension Program, Communications • S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, Bureau of Water, Bureau of Preventive Health Services, Ocean and Coastal Resources Management, Emergency Response Team • University of South Carolina, Belle W. Baruch Institute, Marine Science Program • S.C. Department of Natural Resources, Marine Resources Division • NOAA/NOS/Charleston Laboratory • Clemson University • Medical University of South Carolina, Marine Biomedical Program, School of Medicine • Charleston VA Medical Center

SC ready if a Pfiesteria bloom should occur

To give closure to the 1998 Pfiesteria season, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) convened a conference in Baltimore, Maryland, January 6-7,1999, titled, "Pfiesteria '98: State and Federal Retrospective." The purpose of the meeting was to share results of state and federal research and monitoring efforts from the summer of 1998 and to announce projected 1999 monitoring plans.

Rick DeVoe, S.C. Sea Grant director and chair of the S.C. Task Group on Toxic Algae, was among those presenting. DeVoe described South Carolina's preparedness for a toxic algal bloom, though one has not occurred. The task group has been a front-runner in planning and preparation for a potential harmful algal bloom (HAB) in the state. Formed in late 1997, the group came together voluntarily in response to the potential threat of toxic algal blooms like those other Atlantic and Gulf coastal states have experienced.

The dinoflagellate Pfiesteria piscicida and other like organisms (PLOs) occur naturally from Delaware to the southern tip of Florida, and they have been found in some South Carolina estuaries. But recent scientific research revealed that these algae are probably an ancient life form that has likely always existed, and their presence is of concern but is not cause for alarm. Alan Lewitus, researcher at the University of South Carolina (USC) Belle Baruch Institute for Coastal Research, said, "South Carolina estuaries may not have been affected by Pfiesteria in its active toxic form because the state's estuaries are generally better flushed by tides and less severely affected by runoff than some estuaries in other southeastern states." Protecting the state's estuaries from nutrient overloading and excessive runoff may be the best way to avoid problems with Pfiesteria.

Before the task group formed, the monitoring programs of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) did not routinely sample for the presence or abundance of harmful algae nor examine fish pathology. Since then, facilitated by the task group, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grant administered by DHEC, and Ecology of Harmful Algal Blooms (ECOHAB) funding to the USC Baruch Institute, a more intensive monitoring and surveillance program has been established to include fish pathology, HABs, and PLO counts. Scientists have closely monitored waters in Charleston Harbor, North Inlet, Debidue Creek, and other locations, even though the PLO numbers in these areas were well below toxic levels established in other states. Samples are collected and analyzed weekly from some "hot spot" locations and reference sites. Ulcerated fish have been linked with Pfiesteria. However, according to Phil Maier of DNR, "There are many theories about the source of fish ulcers including fungal infections, viruses, bacteria, and poor water quality." To determine the frequency of fish with ulcers, DNR sampled environments throughout the state where toxic algal blooms are likely to occur. Of the over 80 sites evaluated, the Bushy Park region of the Cooper River, a highly industrialized area, was the only site found to consistently have fish with ulcers. The lesions occurred in young-of-the-year menhaden and were concentrated in the anal vent area. Appearing in the early fall of 1998, the proportion of fish with ulcers increased through October. In addition, fifty-two fish kills were examined. The majority of these occurred in impoundments; only one or two took place in natural waters. "The bottom line is," DeVoe reported, "it appears that no fish kills were associated with toxic algae." This year, DNR will expand its investigative work on fish pathology; Maier said they "want to get at causation this year."

Exposure of watermen to estuarine waters laden with Pfiesteria has been linked to symptoms that include confusion, memory loss, learning disorders, skin rashes, and respiratory irritation. Epidemiologists have characterized these environmental and symptom criteria as Possible Estuary-Associated Syndrome (PEAS). The CDC awarded DHEC $160,000 to study Pfiesteria and track the human health effects it poses. Robert Ball, an epidemiologist at DHEC and the Pfiesteria Surveillance project director, along with Natalie Scruggs, program coordinator, has overseen the collaboration of several state agencies in preparedness for PEAS cases. Educational materials were developed and staff trained to respond to individuals with possible symptoms. To date, there has not been a single case. A detailed reporting system is in place.

Besides the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium, DHEC, DNR, and USC, other organizations who are part of the task force are the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina, the Charleston VA Medical Center, the NOAA National Ocean Service, the US Geological Survey, and the US Coast Guard. The work of individuals from each of these on the task group has made South Carolina as ready as it can be for a harmful algal bloom (HAB).

But the group's work is not finished, according to DeVoe. In his presentation DeVoe stressed, "South Carolina needs to be more integrated into the state and federal partnership." For one thing, the lack of HABs in the state could yield useful information for states that have experienced problems. "We realized early on in our efforts," DeVoe said, "that South Carolina estuaries offer a unique set of features for ongoing efforts in estuaries elsewhere."

Long-term funding—about $300,000 per year—is essential for the task group to meet all of its goals. Statewide monitoring activities of PLOs, fish pathology, and human health need expansion. Technology for the identification of harmful algae and for the investigation of environmental triggers associated with HABs and fish ulcers needs improvement. Establishing fish pathology expertise and the generation and maintenance of a coastal fish health database are vital. Some of what the task group needs involves access to phytoplankton taxonomy, economic valuation, and fish pathology expertise. The integration of South Carolina into the overall federal/state efforts could provide that.

Some socio-economic needs also remain to be addressed, DeVoe said. Developing methods for estimating economic damage of HABs and quantifying the risks of these blooms to ecosystems and humans is necessary. South Carolina must enhance outreach and education efforts to communicate findings and information to the public. In-service training programs must continue and be kept current as more is learned. Most importantly, according to DeVoe, is the need "to reduce public hysteria." And doing so is, in part, dependent on South CarolinaÈs incorporation into the existing federal/state network.

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Funding Update for 1999

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) will receive second year funding of $160,000 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to Robert Ball, project director for the Pfiesteria-Related Illness Surveillance and Prevention Program. The past year's grant money enabled DHEC staff to work collaboratively with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Medical University of South Carolina, and other agencies, coordinating with the S.C. Task Group on Toxic Algae, through the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium, and other partners for additional activities.

Alan Lewitus, marine scientist at USC Belle Baruch Institute for Coastal Research, reported that the grant funds are intact for the second year of the five-year, $3-million study funded by the ECOHAB program (ECology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms). In addition to continuing the intensive sampling and water quality monitoring done last year, Lewitus and the other researchers on his team are currently studying the reoccurrence this year of red tides at several state locations.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a new funding source for 1999, with money congressionally earmarked to support Pfiesteria management and mitigation activities. According to Butch Younginer of DHEC, the EPA could provide South Carolina $120,000 by the end of September. "The money is for the 1999 fiscal year," Younginer said.

Web sites on Pfiesteria:

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution:
www.redtide.whoi.edu/hab/

University System of Maryland:
http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/pfiesteria

For more information or additional copies of this newsletter, please contact Linda Blackwell at (843) 727-2078 or Linda.Blackwell@scseagrant.org.