jaybee
30-05-2002, 05:00 AM
Courier Mail 29th May 02
FOR 14 years, Andrew White and his family have reeled in catfish from their property on the Brisbane River at Moggill, but lately the catch has worried them.
Dr White, a scientist, began noticing lesions and bloody sores on the catfish.
"They were diseased and unhealthy," Dr White said.
"I know a contaminated fish when I see one and these had very nasty lesions. There is something pathologically wrong."
He contacted The Courier-Mail yesterday after reading how scientists had discovered pfiesteria, known as "the cell from hell" because of its toxicity, in sediment in Brisbane waterways.
Pfiesteria is a single-celled algae which blooms to produce potent toxins that attack fish.
Scientists and research staff who have come into close contact with the toxins and diseased fish have suffered neurological and respiratory problems with short-term symptoms similar to Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis.
Pfiesteria has been found in sediment in three locations in Brisbane, prompting an investigation and further sampling this week by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Premier Peter Beattie yesterday moved to allay public concerns over the algae.
Mr Beattie said the Environmental Protection Agency was monitoring the situation but the risk to humans was low.
So far there has been no confirmation of pfiesteria in fish in Queensland, but if Dr White's concerns are well-founded the EPA could face an environmental crisis.
Pfiesteria thrives in warm estuarine water rich in nutrients from sewage and primary industries run-off.
The catfish with lesions were caught just 2km downstream from the junction of the Brisbane River with the Bremer River, one of the sites where pfiesteria was found.
Within five minutes of throwing a line in late yesterday from the banks of his property, Dr White had caught a catfish and a bream, both healthy. He plans to take the next lesion-affected fish he catches to a laboratory for analysis.
FOR 14 years, Andrew White and his family have reeled in catfish from their property on the Brisbane River at Moggill, but lately the catch has worried them.
Dr White, a scientist, began noticing lesions and bloody sores on the catfish.
"They were diseased and unhealthy," Dr White said.
"I know a contaminated fish when I see one and these had very nasty lesions. There is something pathologically wrong."
He contacted The Courier-Mail yesterday after reading how scientists had discovered pfiesteria, known as "the cell from hell" because of its toxicity, in sediment in Brisbane waterways.
Pfiesteria is a single-celled algae which blooms to produce potent toxins that attack fish.
Scientists and research staff who have come into close contact with the toxins and diseased fish have suffered neurological and respiratory problems with short-term symptoms similar to Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis.
Pfiesteria has been found in sediment in three locations in Brisbane, prompting an investigation and further sampling this week by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Premier Peter Beattie yesterday moved to allay public concerns over the algae.
Mr Beattie said the Environmental Protection Agency was monitoring the situation but the risk to humans was low.
So far there has been no confirmation of pfiesteria in fish in Queensland, but if Dr White's concerns are well-founded the EPA could face an environmental crisis.
Pfiesteria thrives in warm estuarine water rich in nutrients from sewage and primary industries run-off.
The catfish with lesions were caught just 2km downstream from the junction of the Brisbane River with the Bremer River, one of the sites where pfiesteria was found.
Within five minutes of throwing a line in late yesterday from the banks of his property, Dr White had caught a catfish and a bream, both healthy. He plans to take the next lesion-affected fish he catches to a laboratory for analysis.